India’s Cyber ability has its focus on Pakistan and is regionally effective rather having wider range

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In a report by International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) India’s combative cyber ability is ‘Pakistan focused’ and ‘regionally effective ‘and is not adept to fight with China.

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IISS has done a qualitative assessment of cyber power in 15 countries. The parameters for assessing a country’s cyber capability are governance, command and control; strategy and doctrine; core cyber-intelligence capability; cyber empowerment and dependence; cyber security and resilience; global leadership in cyberspace affairs and offensive cyber capability.

The US is the only country in the first tier, that tops the list for its world-leading strengths across “all” parameters.

In the second tier, the countries included are Australia, Canada, China, France, Israel, Russia and the United Kingdom with world-leading strengths in “some” categories.

India is in the tier three that means the countries that have strengths or potential strengths in some of these categories but “significant weaknesses” in others. Other countries in this tier are: Japan, Iran, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and North Korea.

According to the report, India has made only “modest progress” in evolving its policy and doctrine for cyberspace security despite the geo-strategic volatility of its region and a keen awareness of the cyber threat it faces.

The report said that India’s perspective regarding institutional reform of cyber governance has been “slow and incremental”, with main coordinating authorities for cyber security in the civil and military spheres established only as late as 2018 and 2019 respectively.

These work together with the National Technical Research Organisation, main cyber-intelligence agency.

India has a good regional cyber-intelligence approach but depends on partners, including the United States, for wider observation.

India’s digital economy has gained strengths including a vibrant start-up culture and a very large talent pool with private sector steadily moving ahead of the government.

India can move ahead to the second tier by mobilizing its great digital-industrial potential and embracing a whole-of-society approach to improving its cyber security.

As per the report China’s cyber power is inferior to that of the US.

The countries covered in this report are US, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia (four of the Five Eyes intelligence allies); France and Israel (the two most cyber-capable partners of the Five Eyes states); Japan (also an ally of the Five Eyes states, but less capable in the security dimensions of cyberspace, despite its formidable economic power); China, Russia, Iran and North Korea (the principal states posing a cyber threat to Western interests); and India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam (four countries at earlier stages in their cyber-power development).

This study will continue and will cover a total of 40 countries, including Germany, Singapore, Nigeria among others.

It is important for India to use its political will wisely and align with other nations to have more cyber power.

Five Eyes Intelligence Oversight and Review Council (FIORC)

FIORC was created in the spirit of the existing Five Eyes partnership, the intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These countries are parties to the multilateral UKUSA Agreement, a treaty for joint cooperation in signals intelligence. FIORC is composed of the following non-political intelligence oversight, review, and security entities of the Five Eyes countries:

• The Office of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security of Australia
• The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency of Canada
• The Office of the Intelligence Commisioner of Canada
• The Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants and the Office of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security of New Zealand
• The Investigatory Powers Commissioner's Office of the United Kingdom
• The Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community of the United States

The Council members exchange views on subjects of mutual interest and concern; compare best practices in review and oversight methodology; explore areas where cooperation on reviews and the sharing of results is permitted where appropriate; encourage transparency to the largest extent possible to enhance public trust; and maintain contact with political offices, oversight and review committees, and non-Five Eyes countries as appropriate.