Cyber security challenges increasing multifold: Telecom Secy

With growth in digitisation, cyber security challenges in countries like India are increasing multifold and the government is working on every level of digital infrastructure to make it secure, Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said today.

"Every nation faces cyber security challenges. Countries like India, where digitization growth has been exponential, the magnitude and complexity of these challenges become multi-fold. For example 300 million Indians adopted digital payments in just 6 months," Sundararajan tweeted.

The telecom secretary is in Geneva to attend the 'High Level Strategic Dialogue' on WSIS (World Summit on the Information Society) Forum.

She said India is working towards putting in place a comprehensive data protection framework.

"A sound and comprehensive cyber security policy along with the sectoral CERTs are the key building blocks of India's cyber security infrastructure. We are also working to ensure that all layers of digital access are appropriately secured, including the content, transport and device layers," she tweeted.

CERTs refer to Computer Emergency Response Teams.

At the event, she said that in the digital world, technology is moving so fast that "one always feels like Alice in Wonderland" and there is need to keep running fast even if one wants to stay at the same place.

Sundararajan highlighted India's mass digital literacy programme which aims not only to give people at the bottom of the pyramid access to technology but also to enable them to negotiate technology in their local language.

"We are into the 4th year of Digital India initiative, in this period we have tripled our telecom infrastructure... The first of the 3 pillars on which our digital strategy is premised is access and inclusion, second is to give a digital identity to everyone, thirdly to deliver next generation goods and services to all our citizens," she said.