The Five Pillars of the Global Cyber Security Agenda
Introduction
In today’s world, with rapid technological innovation and development, the culture posed by human society is that of an internet user. Networking protocols on which the Internet runs and social media platforms have become an intrinsic part of human life. Although the platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Telegram aimed to bring and connect people, however, soon became victims of cybercrimes. However, the main concern is that despite having laws and policies oriented towards arresting the increased cases of Cybercrimes, the social media platforms, and the internet users become a victim of Data Breaches and Network Crimes. With the Internet becoming a backbone of our global economy, Cybercriminals have entered the business of breaching secure firewalls to steal sensitive data like the user’s personal information to slow down the nation’s economic growth and checkmate its national security.
What promotes Cyber Attacks?
- Psychological Aspect
Humans need trust in their lives because this is the core aspect behind the existence of human society. The increased dependence upon the Internet and IoT gadgets resulted in humans having a positive attitude towards the technological infrastructure, which results in people falling for phishing scams and digital frauds.
- Behavioural Aspect
Since to the Hackers, life is like a “LIVE FREE or DIE-HARD” concept, and the limitation that our internet culture lacks the understanding to foster enhanced Cyber Security, very little stops the hackers from penetrating the most sophisticated technology and steal the user’s data.
Therefore, these two aspects promote hackers to take advantage of the vulnerabilities posed by our current internet architecture, which are called Cyber-attacks.
Need for Cyber security
In the wake of the rise in Cyberattack incidents around the world and the massive expenditure done by the nation to get rid of them (by paying the Ransom demanded), the world realized that every country should be on the same page to understand the nature of Cybercrime and the need for Cyber- WHO. Although there is no proper definition to capture the entire aspect of Cybersecurity, however in simple terms it means the body of technologies and practices to protect against the hacker’s unauthorized access, destruction, or manipulation of the victim’s computer data.
GLOBAL CYBERSECURITY AGENDA
With an estimated 4 billion Internet users around the world, the global issues related to Cybercrimes and the realization for implementing Cybersecurity solutions could differ among countries. International Telecommunication Union membership includes the-
- Least developed countries,
- Developing and Emerging economies, and
- Industrialized countries.
In Conclusion, International Telecommunication Union is a global platform where different issues about network safety and cybercrime and aim to arrive at a level where every problem and issue is tended to and tackled. The solution is carved out keeping in mind a nation’s economic, political, and social challenges, significant priorities, and the public and local initiatives of that country. ITU has hence been set up as a worldwide system for discourse and global collaboration pointed toward proposing techniques for answers for improving security and trust in the data society. The Global Cybersecurity Agenda (GCA) aims to solve the challenges, issues, and problems faced by countries in their fight against #Cybercrimes and their effort to achieve #Cyber peace. At the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis in 2005, ITU was entrusted to take the lead as the sole facilitator for Action Line C5, “Building confidence and security in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs)”[1].
On May 17, 2007, the ITU launched the Global Cybersecurity Agenda (GCA).
“The GCA is a global framework for dialogue and international cooperation to coordinate the international response to the growing challenges to cybersecurity and to enhance confidence and security in the information society. It builds on existing work, initiatives, and partnerships with the objective of proposing global strategies to address today’s challenges related to building confidence and security in the use of ICT’s”[2].
यह भी जानें : संविधान की प्रस्तावना
Five pillars of the ITU Global Cybersecurity Agenda
- Legal Framework
The first strategic pillar focusses on the following key aspects-
- Deal with legal challenges faced by a nation and authorize a country to set up a response body responsible for investigation and prosecution of crimes and the provisions for punishment for non-compliance or breach of law.
- Responsible for Guiding and advising legislation on how to deal with Cybercriminals in an internationally compatible manner.
- Research upon the lacunas posed by the current legal frameworks that permit criminals to operate between countries without fearing punishment.
2. Technical Measures
The second strategic pillar focusses on the following key aspects-
- Responsible for researching and carving out a strategy for the technical challenges arising in Network Security.
- Focusses on the technical and procedural measures for addressing loopholes or possible breach possibilities in new software products.
3. Organizational Structures
The third strategic pillar focusses on the following key aspects
- Focus on optimal response strategies and the institutions that can help countries in dealing with the prevention, detection, response to, and crisis management of Cyberattack, including the protection of countries’ critical information infrastructure systems.
- This work area should develop a generic framework for functional organizational structures that can help countries deal with cyber threats and the misuse of ICTs for malicious purposes.
4. Capacity Building
The fourth strategic pillar focusses on the following key aspects-
- Elaborating strategies for concrete capacity-building mechanisms to raise awareness, transfer know-how, and boost Cybersecurity on the national policy agenda.
- User awareness, technical capacity, and information exchange are some of the key factors in building Cybersecurity from the grassroots upwards. This work area will consider the effective measures, awareness campaigns, training initiatives that can be undertaken to build human, technical and institutional capacity, and awareness of the issues key to preserving Cybersecurity.
5. International Cooperation
The fifth strategic pillar focusses on the following key aspects-
- Develop proposals on a framework for a multi-stakeholder strategy for international cooperation, dialogue, and coordination in dealing with cyber threats.
- The Information Society is borderless, which means that the response mechanisms dealing with Cyber threats must be as borderless as Cybercriminals’ activities.
- Cooperation is vital at different levels and through different means — from the monitoring of funds and transfers of the proceeds of criminal activities to cooperation in dealing with international crime syndicates and paedophilic rings[3].
Also Read: Rights of undertrial prisoners in India
Setting achievable goals
The Global Cybersecurity Agenda is made up of seven main strategic goals:
- Elaboration of strategies for the development of a model cybercrime legislation that is globally applicable and interoperable with existing national and regional legislative measures.
- Elaboration of strategies for the creation of appropriate national and regional organizational structures and policies on cybercrime.
- Development of a strategy for the establishment of globally accepted minimum security criteria and accreditation schemes for software applications and systems.
- Development of strategies for the creation of a global framework for a watch, warning, and incident response to ensure cross-border coordination between new and existing initiatives.
- Development of strategies for the creation and endorsement of a generic and universal digital identity system and the necessary organizational structures to ensure the recognition of digital credentials for individuals across geographical boundaries.
- Development of a global strategy to facilitate human and institutional capacity building to enhance knowledge and know-how across sectors and in all the above-mentioned areas.
- Proposals on a framework for a global multi-stakeholder strategy for international cooperation, dialogue, and coordination in all the above-mentioned areas[4].
[1]“ITU Global Cybersecurity Agenda (GCA) A Framework for International Cooperation in Cybersecurity”, available at: https://www.intgovforum.org/Substantive_2nd_IGF/ITU_GCA_E.pdf (last visited on June 27, 2021).
[2]“Global Cybersecurity Agenda”, wikia.org, available at:https://itlaw.wikia.org/wiki/Global_Cybersecurity_Agenda (last visited on June 27, 2021).
