India ranks as the 10th best country for key cybersecurity parameters among the top 10 Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2020 by ITU. India is establishing itself as a worldwide IT giant, asserting its digital sovereignty through strong steps to protect citizens' data privacy and online rights.

The UN body's endorsement of India's cybersecurity initiatives comes only days before the sixth anniversary of Digital India on July 1.

According to the ranking, India has climbed 37 places to become the tenth best country in the world in the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2020, which was released on June 29, 2021 by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

In the Asia Pacific region, India is ranked fourth, demonstrating its commitment to cybersecurity.

Despite the challenges of COVID-19 and the increasing migration of everyday activities and socio-economic services into the digital world, countries are attempting to strengthen their cyber security, according to the newly issued 2020 index.

"In these tough times the unparalleled reliance on ICTs to drive society, economy, and industry makes it more critical than ever to secure cyberspace and create user confidence," said Houlin Zhao, ITU Secretary General.

According to GCI 2020, nearly half of all countries have established a national computer incident response team (CIRT), an increase of 11 percent from 2018. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rapid adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has pushed cybersecurity to the forefront.

The GCI is based on how well a country performs on five different aspects of cybersecurity, including legal, technological, organizational, capacity development, and cooperation. The results are then combined to produce an overall score.

All of the countries' performance and commitment were rated for each of the five elements using a question-based online survey that also allowed for the collection of supporting evidence.

The questions were then weighted and evaluated to arrive at the overall results after extensive consultations with a panel of specialists.

The GCI results for India demonstrate significant overall development and strengthening across all cybersecurity categories. India received a total of 97.5 points out of a possible 100 points in the GCI 2020, putting it in tenth place globally.

Over the last few years, India has worked tirelessly on all five pillars, resulting in a significant improvement in its standing in the Global Cyber Security Index.

By the end of the year, 64percent of countries had implemented a national cybersecurity strategy (NCS), and 70percent had conducted cybersecurity awareness campaigns, up from 58percent and 66percent in 2018.

Despite significant progress, cyber capacity gaps continue to exist.

“Governments and enterprises must collaborate to ensure that ICTs are always safe and reliable for everyone. A significant component is the Global Cybersecurity Index, which provides a glimpse of the opportunities and gaps that may be addressed to secure each country's digital ecosystem”, adds Zhao.