The Bangladesh Cybersecurity Strategy for 2021-2025 has already been written by the Digital Security Agency, which is part of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division. Officials from the ICT Division informed The Business Standard that the strategy will be presented to the cabinet for approval soon, after making any necessary revisions based on feedback from other stakeholders (TBS).
The proposed cybersecurity policy, which is the first of its type in Bangladesh, specifies that all ministries will be equipped with particular software and qualified staff to safeguard themselves against cyber-attacks.
The government has launched the programme at a time when all countries, including the United States, are concerned about cyberspace security. The National Cybersecurity Strategy of neighbouring India is likewise seeking cabinet approval.
According to authorities from the ICT Division, the draught strategy focuses on ten elements to address future cyber issues and strengthen the country’s cyber capacity.
Enhancing national cybersecurity governance and ecosystem, improving organisational management and business operations, strengthening cybersecurity incident management and active cyber defence, enhancing national cybersecurity capacity, nourishing cybersecurity knowledge through education, and promoting a competitive local industry and ecology are among the major targets set forth in the draught document.
According to the paper, under the supervision of the education ministry, 250 graduates and 125 postgraduates, including 25 doctors of philosophy (PhDs) in cybersecurity, will graduate from public universities each year.
On January 25, the ICT Division shared the strategy with all of the ministries and received their approval to finalise the draught.
According to authorities involved, the ICT division will send letters to all ministries this week seeking their feedback on the draught strategy, and the division will make required changes or additions to the document depending on stakeholder feedback before sending it to the cabinet.
The Covid-19 pandemic, according to Tarique M Barkatullah, director (operation) of the Digital Security Agency, has increased people’s dependency on digital technologies – for personal communication with friends and family, distant employment, and running enterprises effectively. Government agencies have also become more reliant on ICT to keep running properly, he added.
These new methods of life and work emphasise the necessity of cybersecurity, which is reinforced by broader developments. He went on to say that an ever-increasing reliance on digital networks and systems, faster advances in new technologies, a wider range of threats, and increasing international competition on underlying technologies and standards in cyberspace highlight the importance of good cybersecurity practises for individuals, businesses, and government.
Bangladesh, like other countries, faces a significant risk of cyber-attacks and threats, with the Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management reporting that more than half of the country’s commercial banks are vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
Hackers broke into the Bangladesh Bank’s computers in February 2016 and exploited the SWIFT messaging network to influence a $951 million transfer from the central bank’s account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
According to Tarique M Barkatullah of the Digital Security Agency, Bangladesh’s cyber security policy might help the country become more confident, capable, and resilient in the fast-paced digital world. “Bangladesh has already developed a solid ICT infrastructure. The country’s international cyber security index ranking has increased to 32 this year from 65 last year.
Cybersecurity’s Beginnings
Although there are different stories regarding who invented the first antivirus product, 1987 was the year when it was first commercially available.
Many antiviral companies had been created around the world by 1988, and the world had gone online by the 1990s.
Cybercriminals had more equipment and software vulnerabilities to exploit in 2000 than they had ever had before, as the Internet became available in more homes and companies across the world.
Many high-profile breaches and attacks began to have an impact on countries’ national security in the 2010s, costing firms millions of dollars.