Government unveils National Cyber Security Policy 2013

The government Tuesday unveiled the National Cyber Security Policy 2013 that aims at building a secure and resilient cyberspace for citizens, businesses and the government.

Communications and IT Minister Kapil Sibal explained the necessity of the policy and said there were always chances of cyber attacks from state and non-state actors, corporates and terrorists.

He said critical infrastructure like the air defence system, power infrastructure, nuclear plants, telecommunications system needed to be well insulated, otherwise it may lead to economic instability.

The distinctive feature of this policy is to create a mechanism to obtain information regarding information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure threats and to respond to it and solve it. It aims at doing crisis management through effective, preventive and proactive recovery actions.

The policy comes amid reports of snooping by the US globally and an ever-increasing threats to the country from cyber attacks. India witnessed 13,000 cyber attacks in 2011.

The policy aims at setting up a nodal agency to coordinate all matters related to cyber security in the country with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.

The policy aims at creating a secure cyber eco-system; strengthening the regulatory framework; creating mechanisms for early warning, vulnerability management and response to security threats.

It also seeks to promote research and development in cyber security and reduce supply chain risks among other objectives.