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According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Nepal has risen from 106th place in the 2018 edition, to 94th position in the 2020 Global Cybersecurity Index, showing that its commitment to cybersecurity has increased .
The Himalayan Republic scored 44.99 out of 100 points out of 182 countries. It was ranked 17th among 18 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, ITU said.
ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies, engine of innovation in information and communication technologies with 193 member states and more than 900 companies, universities and international and regional organizations.
The Global Cybersecurity Index is assessed on five pillars: legal measures, technical measures, organizational measures, capacity development and cooperation. For each pillar, the country’s commitment was assessed through a question-based online survey that collected supporting evidence.
Nepal scored 15.61 points in legal measures, 5.94 points in technical measures, 9.58 points in organizational measures, 9.60 points in capacity building and 4.26 points in cooperative measures. Legal measures were a relative strength for Nepal, and the country can gain potential growth through cooperative measures, according to the report.
Bijay Kumar Roy, deputy director of the Nepal Telecommunications Authority, said the work has started in accordance with Cyber ​​Security Bylaw 2020. “he said.
“With the increasing use of digital transactions, there could be risks of exposure to threats, so it is vital to invest in cybersecurity infrastructure,†Roy said. “We have inserted in the regulation a provision that mobile applications can only be launched by performing a vulnerability assessment which can lead to security.”
India reached the top 10 of the Global Cybersecurity Index with 97.5 points. Bangladesh was 53rd with 81.27, Pakistan 79th with 64.88 points, Bhutan 134th with 18.34 percent, Sri Lanka 83rd with 58.65 points and Maldives 177th with 2.95 points.
Globally, the United States leads the table with 100 points, followed by the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia with 99.54 points each. Estonia came third with 99.48 points.
The Ministry of Communication, Information and Technology has prepared a draft national cybersecurity policy 2021 to control and minimize cyber attacks in information and technology and ensure security against possible future attacks.
A separate cybersecurity policy has been developed for increased information and technology security as new cybersecurity challenges emerge.
The new policy should form an important basis for building the capacity of information systems operated by service providers in order to improve the confidentiality, integrity, availability and authenticity of the data and information systems collected. , processed and disseminated.
Addressing the cyber risk of individuals, businesses and government, the policy aims to take legal steps to create a secure and resilient cyberspace.
As digitization expands in Nepal, it is inevitable that increasing amounts of data in the public and private domains will be threatened.
Laws and standards will be developed for a secure, reliable and flexible cyberspace. To secure communication and information technology systems, institutional and organizational structures will be made on the basis of international practices. To strengthen cybersecurity, capable and secure technology, infrastructure and process will be provided.
The Nepalese Telecommunications Authority, with technical support from ITU, prepared a study report and recommended policy suggestions to the government.
As of mid-May, 90.56% of the Nepalese population had access to the Internet, according to the Nepal Telecommunications Authority’s management and information report. The number of Internet users in the country currently stands at 27.37 million.
The Cyber ​​Security Regulation 2020 prepared by the Nepal Telecommunications Authority, which aims to protect information and communication systems against cyber attacks and other associated risks, has entered into force.
The regulation requires telecommunications and internet service providers to use national and international cyber risk information sharing platforms to receive and share information regarding security issues, vulnerabilities and cyber threat intelligence.
The purpose of the platform is to establish a cybersecurity community in Nepal to facilitate detection and prevention of cyber attacks by sharing intelligence on cyber threats.
The Global Cybersecurity Index found that many countries were lagging behind in key areas such as cybersecurity skills training in micro, small and medium enterprises, and that there were gaps in dedicated measures. to shut down cybersecurity in finance, healthcare, energy and other key sectors.
ATM burglaries resulting from compromised switching systems, transfers of funds distributed to legitimate user accounts, hacking of the SWIFT system and theft of individual data on online platforms such as online shopping are the cases. most notorious data breaches in Nepal in the recent past.
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