The Hindu Business Line : A case for a cyber czar?

The US President, Barack Obama, is very much in the news these days. On June 4, he set the Nile on fire with his “Let us make new beginning” speech at Cairo University in which he held out a hand of friendship to Muslims all over the world and appealed to them to not regard the US as an adversary.

Although he did not refer to terrorism directly, he did speak of the evil flowing from extremists and the need to extirpate it. He expressed his anxiety to protect his own country and other nations from such elements. In a remote way his speech a few days earlier in Washington had possibly set the tone for Cairo. Here he unveiled plans to safeguard America from cyber attacks by strengthening cyber security and appointing a national cyber czar who will be wholly accountable for the purpose. Obama’s speech was focussed and down-to-earth and revealed a new determination that should appeal to many world leaders, including ours.

Cyber crime impact

Obama was not speaking in thin air. He cited statistics that highlighted the threat faced by nations in cyberspace. First he spoke of how lax security pinched the pockets of the common man. Cyber crime had caused a loss of more than $8 billion to US citizens during the past two years. Internationally speaking, according to one study quoted by Obama, fraudsters used stolen credit card information to vandalise 130 ATM machines in 49 cities around the world, all in about 30 minutes! Also, one employee of an American company was convicted recently of stealing intellectual property worth $400 million.

Obama added that it was not only the financial loss that one should worry about. There was the more serious inroads into our privacy that was a matter of concern. He referred to how, during the Presidential campaign, his own Web site was hacked and many campaign files, including travel plan information, were compromised. While the Internet was a great facilitator of massive election campaigns, it had much vulnerability to guard against. Obama then turned to his plans to strengthen national security, and pointed out how military and other defence computer systems were constantly under attack from mischievous malware. As a result, defence personnel had to change their ways, including the giving up of external devices such as a pen drive. Most appropriately the President referred to how nations can hurt one another through cyber warfare. He drew attention here to the Russian cyber offensive against Georgia last year even as ground battle was in progress.

Security, with privacy

President Obama was of the firm view that the US preparedness to tackle cyber challenges was not adequate. In particular, he pinpointed the absence of a single formation where the buck stopped, in this sector. This was how in his Washington speech he sold to the nation the concept of a cyber czar who will be clearly accountable for protecting the country’s cyber assets. He was rightly critical of the present situation where there was overlapping responsibility and zero accountability. He added that this unsatisfactory situation would change with the creation of the post of a Cyber Security Coordinator at the White House itself. To be personally chosen by the President, this official will ‘orchestrate’ and ‘integrate’ all cyber security policies for the government. He will also coordinate the nation’s response in the event of a major cyber incident or attack. To highlight this official’s importance, Obama said the former would have free access to him.

What was most noteworthy was Obama’s promise to the common man that in the name of cyber security, the US government will not invade citizen privacy. He was categorical that he would not permit monitoring of private sector networks or the general Internet traffic. This assurance possibly took into account the widespread criticism of the National Security Agency’s (NSA) activities on this front. This organisation’s capacity is awesome because it is believed to possess the technology to intercept every telephonic call and every mail that passes through the Internet.

Relevance to India

President Obama’s determination to strengthen cyber security in his country has great relevance to us. The parallel between India and the US is striking, in the sense that we do not have a single point of contact for those who are concerned about gaps in our cyber defence. The primary responsibility is that of the Ministry of Information Technology which has myriad agencies in the area. The Home Ministry under whom the Intelligence Bureau works has a substantial role in monitoring electronic traffic. The Defence Ministry has information assets that are invaluable and need to be protected from our adversaries across the border. We have had several attacks in the past on our government Web sites, which were of concern.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) should possibly have a major role in coordinating all activities that contribute to cyber security. It would be preposterous to expect the government to share with the public on how cyber security is taken care of, especially in defence establishments. There is definitely, however, a case for some transparency like the one displayed by President Obama. We would like a leader of the stature of the Prime Minister to assure the nation that all is well with our computer systems and that enough investment was being made on the needed infrastructure. More than this we want him to lead a movement that aims at bringing up a new generation of citizens who will guard themselves and the nation against cyber attacks, through learning fundamental computer discipline and disseminating such knowledge.

In his Washington speech, President Obama referred to his resolve to forge a private sector-government partnership and promote cyber security awareness in the community across the nation. This is something that both the Centre and State governments should do even as computer penetration and literacy in India are growing rapidly.

The writer is a former CBI Director who is currently Adviser (Security) to TCS Ltd.

Related Stories:
Obama’s Cairo speech: Too little, too late?
The politics of cyber security

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