Defence sector more prone to cyber threats: Sitharaman

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that defence sector is more prone to cyber threats and it was important to safeguard cyberspace with anticipation of possible attacks, an official statement said.

Sitharaman, who addressed a workshop on cyber security framework, congratulated the Department of Defence Production for formulating a Cyber Security Framework for itself and also establishing cells at various levels to handle cyber security related issues.

According to the statement, the minister called for creating a workforce in accordance with the country's vision to become a dominant force in cyber space.

In his remarks, Secretary, Defence Production, Ajay Kumar said that all defence public sector undertakings and ordnance factories were increasingly relying on Information Technology, and any compromise in information and cyber security in defence production environment can have far reaching consequences on effectiveness of the defence forces and national security.

"Therefore, it is important to establish a strong, robust and resilient cyber security infrastructure on priority basis," he said.

The Department's Chief Information Security Officer Amit Sahai said that the one-day workshop has been organised to bring in synchronised approach for cyber security based on frame work document released by the department in 2018.

The framework is in line with national policies and guidelines and provides a common mechanism for all organisations to describe their current cyber security posture and the target area.

It allows prioritising opportunities for improvement and continuously assess progress towards the target area.

--IANS

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