Analysing India’s Cyber building Capabilities in the Global South

This paper dives into India’s cybersecurity capabilities in the context of the Global South. It examines the prevalent cyber threats in developing nations, addresses challenges encountered, and dives into policy implications. The study analyses India’s current cybersecurity landscape, with a focus on its infrastructure, technological investments, and efforts in human capital development. By analyzing India’s cybersecurity policies and comparing them with peers in the Global South, the paper sheds light on policy frameworks and their efficacy. It stresses the significance of public-private partnerships in enhancing cybersecurity, suggesting incentives to encourage greater private-sector participation. The paper identifies regulatory reforms needed to strengthen cyber stability and reveals gaps in the existing regulatory setup. Collaboration and diplomacy at an international level are crucial in tackling cybersecurity issues. The research explores India’s engagements on bilateral and multilateral platforms, along with its contributions to global cybersecurity governance. It also investigates potential collaborative opportunities with the European Union to reinforce cybersecurity frameworks. Drawing from these insights, the paper provides recommendations to improve India’s cyber capabilities and adapt to a robust cybersecurity environment. In conclusion, it mentions the importance of unified efforts in protecting cybersecurity on a national and global scale.

KEYWORDS: cybersecurity, Global South, cyber threat, public-private partnerships, blockchain. 

Introduction

Cyberspace holds the potential to profoundly impact human lives by facilitating connections, business transactions, community building, and access to essential services such as healthcare. However, the once envisioned equitable and empowering cyberspace is increasingly being exploited by both state and non-state actors for malicious purposes, including cyber espionage, viruses and malware, denial-of-service and botnet attacks on government servers, cyber assaults on critical infrastructure, cyber warfare (Stuxnet, Estonian cyber-attacks in 2007, Ukrainian Cyber-attacks in 2014 & 2022), and violations of individuals’ privacy (Pegasus, Cambridge Analytica). 

Digital technology forms the foundation for numerous social, economic, and political development objectives of donor countries and international organizations. Enhancing growth and stability in recipient countries through digitalization and cybersecurity capacity building will be crucial in future foreign policy decisions and government initiatives.

The future of cybersecurity is becoming a crucial element of international relations, emphasizing the growing dependence of nations on digital infrastructure and the internet. This has led to new power imbalances, the advancement of offensive cyber capabilities by governments, and differing perspectives between liberal democracies and authoritarian regimes.

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