National Cyber Security Policy 2013 announced

NEW DELHI, INDIA: The government on Tuesday announced the National Cyber Security Policy 2013.

The policy, approved in May this year, has proposed to set up different bodies to deal with various levels of threats, along with a national nodal agency, to coordinate all matters related to cyber security.

The government has proposed to set up a National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC), which will act as a 24x7 centre to ward off cyber security threats in strategic areas such as air control, nuclear and space.

It will function under the National Technical Research Organisation, a technical intelligence gathering agency controlled directly by the National Security Adviser in the Prime Minister's Office. The existing agency, Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), will handle all public and private infrastructure.

"The Air defence system, power infrastructure, nuclear plants, the telecommunications system will all have to be protected to ensure there is no disruption of the kind that will destabilise the economy. Instability in the cyber space means economic instability, and no nation can afford this. Therefore, it's essential not just to have a policy but to operationalise it," Communications and Information Technology Minister Kapil Sibal said while releasing the policy.

Commenting on the new security policy, Shree Parthasarathy, senior director - Enterprise Risk Services, Deloitte India says "The amended National Security Policy NCSP 2013 is a step in the right direction. While there are a few mandatory areas that organizations need to adhere to, most of the policy is providing guidelines or directional things that organizations need to do".

Parthasarathy notes that a few key highlights of the policy are the creation of a 24x7 National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Center - NCIIPC, Creation of Cyber Workforce of 500,000 in the next 5 years, creation of a regulatory framework, promotion of R&D in security and increased public private partnership. However, the key to the success of this policy would be on how it is mandated, operationalized, regulated, enforced and complied with.