Bharat Ranked in Tier 3 of IISS Cyber Capabilities and National Power: A Net Assessment

As a result of a Study conducted by IISS Researchers in the last two years, Bharat was ranked in Tier 3, it is to be noted that the US is the only nation in Tier one. Instead of Going the traditional way of indexing Nations on basis of only cybersecurity capability, they have gone qualitatively and have analyzed the wider cyber ecosystem for each country, including how it intersects with international security, economic competition, and military affairs.

The countries covered in this report are the US, the 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). 

The study comes at a time when Cyber Confrontation has increased a lot and only last year US Presidents have declared a National Emergency in Cyberspace as a continuation of his policy for the last four years. It is to be noted that these emergencies were declared majorly due to the citation of Continuous Cyber Attacks from China which is considered as an adversary towards Bharat.

capabilities were assessed for countries in seven categories:

Strategy and doctrine
Governance, command, and control
Core cyber-intelligence capability
Cyber empowerment and dependence
Cybersecurity and resilience
Global leadership in cyberspace affairs
Offensive cyber capability

The only nation in Tier 1 is the USA.

In Tier 2 comes nations like AUSTRALIA, CANADA, CHINA, FRANCE, ISRAEL, RUSSIA, UNITED KINGDOM.

and In Tier 3 Nations with Strengths or potential strengths in some categories but significant weaknesses in others fall INDIA, INDONESIA, IRAN, JAPAN, MALAYSIA, NORTH KOREA, VIETNAM.

Regarding Bharat, they state “Despite the geostrategic instability of its region and a keen awareness of the cyber threat it faces, India has made only modest progress in developing its policy and doctrine for cyberspace security. Its approach towards institutional reform of cyber governance has been slow and incremental, with the key coordinating authorities for cybersecurity in the civil and military domains only established in 2018 and 2019 respectively. They work closely with the main cyber-intelligence agency, the National Technical Research Organisation. India has a good regional cyber-intelligence reach but relies on partners, including the United States, for wider insight. The strengths of the Indian digital economy include a vibrant start-up culture and a very large talent pool. The private sector has moved more quickly than the government in promoting national cybersecurity. The country is active and visible in cyber diplomacy but has not been among the leaders on global norms, preferring instead to make productive practical arrangements with key states. From the little evidence available on India’s offensive cyber capability, it is safe to assume it is Pakistan-focused and regionally effective. Overall, India is a third-tier cyber power whose best chance of progressing to the second tier is by harnessing its great digital-industrial potential and adopting a whole-of-society approach to improving its cybersecurity.”

They have also stated In future publications they intend to conduct a deeper analysis of offensive cyber campaigns.

Full Report can be read on IISS Website

https://www.iiss.org/blogs/research-paper/2021/06/cyber-capabilities-national-power