Massive leap for India in cybersecurity rankings, enters top 10

In a major leap, India has secured 10th rank in the Global Cybersecurity Index conducted by the United Nations, jumping 37 places from its previous ranking at 47. 

The United States topped the lists, following the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Estonia, Korea, Singapore, Spain, Russia, UAE, Japan. 

China is ranked 33, while Pakistan finds itself at the 79th spot.

"Many countries are making progress in their commitments to responding to cybersecurity challenges, despite opportunistic actors that have taken advantage of our desire for information, our fears about the pandemic, shift to working from home and remote learning, dependence on healthcare systems, and more," the 4th International Telecommunication Union report, which was released on Tuesday, said.

"We hope it will also help address the growing cyber capacity gap between developed and developing countries by fostering knowledge, upskilling, and building competencies," it said.

In a tweet, the Permanent Mission of India at the UN informed that India had jumped 37 places to rank tenth in Global Cybersecurity Index 2020, demonstrating its success and commitment to cybersecurity.

'India leveraged tremendous potential of cyber-tech'

Speaking at the UN Security Council's Open Debate on 'Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Cyber Security', Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that India was committed to an open, accessible, stable, secure and free cyberspace environment. 

He said that a secure and free cyberspace environment would be an engine for economic growth, sustainable development and innovation. 

It will also ensure a free flow of information and respect for cultural and linguistic diversity, he added.

The foreign secretary mentioned the government's transformative technology initiatives in recent years like IndiaStack, Aadhar and UPI. 

He said that the country had successfully leveraged the tremendous potential of cyber technologies in implementing the SDG agenda and improving governance. 

During the debate, the foreign secretary also highlighted the indigenously developed CoWIN app, which powers India's anti-Covid vaccination programme. 

He described CoWIN as an open, scalable and inclusive platform. 

'Borderless nature of cyberspace challenges concepts of sovereignty'

Speaking about the nature of cyberspace, Shringla said that the continuously evolving feature of cyberspace has also brought cybersecurity into the discourse of peace and security. 

The foreign secretary said that the borderless nature of cyberspace and the anonymity of actors involved have challenged the traditionally accepted concepts of jurisdiction, privacy, and sovereignty.

He said some States were leveraging their expertise in cyberspace to indulge in contemporary forms of cross-border terrorism. 

"We are already witnessing the use of cyber tools to compromise State security via means of attacking critical national infrastructure, including energy facilities. Open societies have been especially vulnerable to cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns," he added.

Calling India a victim of terrorism, Shringla said that the world is witnessing a sophisticated use of cyberspace by terrorists to spread virulent propaganda, recruit youth and raise funds, and incite hatred and violence. 

Terrorists have also used social media for planning and executing terror attacks and wreaking havoc, he added. 

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