New Delhi, Jan 24 (IANS): Aiming to build a resilient cyberspace in the region, BIMSTEC member states propose to implement an action plan in the next five years for cyber incident response and protection of critical information infrastructures, an official said on Friday.
The decision on formulating the action plan was taken at the Second Meeting of the BIMSTEC Expert Group on Cyber Security Cooperation, organised here by the National Security Council Secretariat, according to an official statement.
The action plan will cover mechanisms for the exchange of cyber-related information, cybercrime, protection of critical information infrastructures, cyber incident response and international developments related to cyber norms.
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organisation established on June 6, 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration.
The Second Meeting of the BIMSTEC Expert Group was held on January 21, carrying forward the agenda and momentum built at the First BIMSTEC Experts Group Meeting on Cyber Security hosted by India in 2022 in New Delhi.
The main objective of the BIMSTEC Expert Group meeting was to formulate an "Action Plan" which will bolster coordination and collaboration amongst member states for strengthening cyber security in the use of ICTs.
Significant exchanges during the second meeting included the BIMSTEC CERT-TO-CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) cooperation mechanism, Cybercrime Cooperation Framework amongst the Law Enforcement agencies and capacity building programmes on cyber security in the region.
During the various sessions at the second meeting of the BIMSTEC Expert Group on Cyber Security Cooperation, India also made presentations about its initiatives on the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) on 'Cyber Hygiene for school children'.
The meeting agreed that the action plan's implementation will be a major step towards strengthening cyber security cooperation in BIMSTEC, the statement said.
It said that with these steps, BIMSTEC countries can work together to create a more secure and resilient cyberspace in the region.