India ranked 23rd in second Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI)

India has been ranked 23rd out of 165 nations in the second Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) that measures the commitment of nations across the world to cyber security. The Index has been released by the UN telecommunications agency International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Salient Highlights

India has been listed in the “maturing category” of the index with a score of 0.683. Around 77 countries have been placed in the maturing category as they have developed complex commitments to cyber security and engage in cybersecurity programmes and initiatives.
Singapore has topped the index with a score of 0.925. Singapore is followed by United States (2nd), Malaysia (3rd), Oman (4th), Estonia (5th), Mauritius (6th), Australia (7th), Georgia (8th), France (9th), Canada (10th) and Russia (11th). China has been placed at 34th.
Equatorial Guinea is the worst performer among all nations with a score of zero.
ITU has ranked the countries based on the countries’ legal, technical and organisational institutions, educational and research capabilities, as well as their cooperation in information-sharing networks. The index also figured the improvement and strengthening of the five pillars of the ITU Global Cybersecurity Agenda, namely, legal, technical, organisational, capacity building and international cooperation.
The report has observed that only about half of all countries have a cybersecurity strategy or in the process of developing one and has urged the other countries to have a national policy to protect against cybercrime.
ITU has advocated for the adoption of a national security strategy. As per the report, 50% of the nations do not have any such strategy. As per the ITU, the malicious attacks have increased in recent years. The latest example of cyber attacks is those carried out as recently as 27 June 2017.

ITU

ITU is the United Nations specialised agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs). ITU has 193 countries as its members and also 800 private-sector entities and academic institutions. ITU is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
ITU is responsible for allocating global radio spectrum and satellite orbits. It also develops the technical standards that ensure networks and technologies to seamlessly interconnect. It also strives to improve access to ICTs among the underserved communities worldwide.

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2017