‘Need international legal framework for cyber security’

An international legal framework is required to tackle the growing e-threats and emerging borderless issues in cyber attacks, a top cyber security official said on Friday. “In India, we have a legal framework – the Information Technology Act of 2000. But with increasing number of threats and emerging border-less issues in cyber attacks, we need an international framework,” India’s cyber security chief Gulshan Rai said. “Every country should share data within the framework,” he said.

He said the country had the National Cyber Security Policy-2013, but the steps for implementing this need to change with the changing nature of threats.  

“The policy is quite open. Many of the points laid down in the policy have been implemented.

The steps for implementing the policy should keep on changing with the nature of threats,” Rai said when asked whether the country will change the cyber security policy to catch up with the changing nature of threats.

Rai was speaking at an IT Conclave organised by Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In order to arrest cyber attacks, the central government has taken a series of initiatives like setting up of cyber security response team and national cyber coordination centre etc.

Many of these initiatives are yet to bear fruits, said West Bengal government Information Technology Department’s Principal secretary Talleen Kumar. He suggested the Centre prepare a comprehensive cyber security policy in coordination with states.

The incidents of cyber attacks in India grew 82 per cent in 2014 over the previous year and the resultant financial losses increased by 135 per cent, he said.