Cyberconflict in Ukraine has become normalised in that it is focused, there is no lasting damage, and it effectively conveys a sense of helplessness to the affected government and population. At the same time, it signals to other governments that they are not impervious to such attacks.
US has undertaken a number of initiatives on cybersecurity, specifically ransomware, one of them being the Counter-Ransomware Initiative Meeting held in October 2021. Whether this attempt by the US to mobilise a larger group of countries to discuss ransomware will lead to real outcomes, or is just meant to endorse its actions, remains to be seen.
With the adoption of varied digital means in times of pandemic, the states are likely to witness increased cyberattacks. Absence of an effective response would only mean an open playground for perpetrators.
With a new found celebrity status among the video conferencing applications, Zoom now faces a massive privacy and security threat as the platform’s default settings are not secure enough.
Paris Call could be seen as a positive step towards finding a middle path between Western democracies and authoritarian regimes on the issue of cyber governance.
The BIMSTEC region offers tremendous opportunities in the field of cyber space. However, the full scope of digital dividend can only be harnessed if the countries of the region are able to get their act together and work as a team at the earliest.
