India, Sri Lanka and Maldives NSA meeting identifies Cybersecurity as a pillar of cooperation

A trilateral National Security Agency (NSA) meet identified four pillars of cooperation between India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives on August 4. The South Asian nations identified areas like terrorism and radicalisation, marine safety and security, trafficking and organised crime and cybersecurity as essential pillars of cooperation moving forward. The meeting was a part of the Colombo Security Conclave hosted by Sri Lanka to boost collaboration between nations and address regional security challenges.

While the most immediate security concern for these nations is undoubtedly from the maritime domain, it is encouraging to see cybersecurity also being acknowledged as an emerging and potent security threat. Cybersecurity is of particular importance to India. The rise of indigenous digital content and the cheapest bandwidth cost worldwide have connected a large population to the internet. However, India still grapples with digital literacy issues, with 7 out of every ten people being a target of online scams or fraud and several other nodes of vulnerability existing in the system. Moreover, India’s digitalisation is a recent phenomenon and hence faces several teething issues. It is in this context that a focus on cybersecurity is vital for India. A Symantec report stated that India is one of the top 5 countries affected by cybercrimes.

The challenges for India are both institutional and from a Human Resource perspective. There is a distinct lack of technical and legal standards. A lack of national cybersecurity policy and general apathy towards cybersecurity and data security among individuals also compounds these issues. Perhaps one of the most significant issues is the lack of talent in India. An ISACA and Data Security Council of India study assessed that India needs 1.5 million cybersecurity professionals to address the dearth of talent and the emerging challenges posed by a dynamic cybersecurity environment.

India’s collaboration with Sri Lanka and the Maldives in the domain of cyberspace is a welcome step. This step will strengthen security cooperation between the nations, and it can also address some of the talent shortages. A collaborative and joint approach to tackling cybersecurity issues in South Asia is the way forward.