On 19 June, the
Department of Defence held a workshop on the development of the
Cyber Security Framework. It was inaugurated by the Minister of Defence, Mrs
Nirmala Sitharaman and more than a hundred representatives from the Directorate
General Quality Assurance (DGQA), the Directorate General of Aeronautical
Quality Assurance (DGAQA) and the Defence Public
Sector Undertakings and Ordnance Factories attended the workshop.
In
an official press statement released by the Ministry, according
to the Chief Information Security Officer of Department of Defence Production
(DDP) Dr Amit Sahai, the workshop was held to discuss the cybersecurity threats
the Ministry faces and to develop a plan to implement a policy based on the
document released by Department of Defence Production earlier this year.
During
the workshop, Mrs Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Defence sector has become
more prone to cyber-attacks and it is the Ministry’s top priority to safeguard the
country’s cyberspace and added that it is necessary for the country’s workforce
in all establishments to fall in line with the nation’s goal to become a
dominant force in cyberspace.
The
Ministry has outlined a Cyber Security Framework for the Draft Defence Production
(DDP) policy. According to the document released by Draft Defence Production,
the policy aims to facilitate faster assimilation of technology and create a secure
industrial ecosystem in the country. The
policy is an important part of the “Make in
India” initiative which was initiated by Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi,
to reduce India’s dependence on imports from other nations. The Ministry said
it will use the latest technologies and manufacturing processes in order to be
more self-reliant in this sector.
Additionally,
to address the growing number of cybercrimes and other cybersecurity related
issues, the Ministry has established cybersecurity cells at various levels in
the country. India has already taken steps to lower cybercrime rates such as
implementing the Information
Technology Act 2000, which gives citizens legal protection from cyber-attacks,
and developing the
National Cybersecurity Policy under the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology.
The policy aims to protect information and information
infrastructure in cyberspace, build capabilities to prevent and respond to
cyber threats, reduce vulnerabilities and minimise damage from cyber incidents
through a combination of institutional structures, people, processes,
technology and cooperation.
The IT Ministry
said that through the National Cybersecurity Policy strives to create a secure
cyber ecosystem in India, foster trust and confidence in Information Technology
systems and its transactions in cyberspace and to increase the use of Information
Technology in all sectors of the economy.
The
Secretary of Defence Production, Dr Ajay Kumar noted that all Defence Public
Sector Undertakings (PSU) and Ordnance Factories have already started to use
and rely more heavily on Information Technology. The Indian Ordnance Factories
organisation functions under the Ministry of Defence and is involved in the research, production, testing, development and marketing of land, sea
and air systems.
However,
in spite of the measures taken by the Ministry, compromise in information and cybersecurity
in the Defence Production sector can have far-reaching consequences on the
effectiveness of India’s defence forces and national security. Therefore, the
Ministry has stressed that it is important to establish a strong, robust and
resilient cybersecurity infrastructure.
According
to the press release, the framework follows the National Policies & Guidelines
rules and provides a common platform for enterprises to describe their current cybersecurity
position and the target area for cybersecurity.
The
framework will also be able to identify and prioritise opportunities for
improvement and will regularly assess progress towards the target areas.