In today’s digital era, owning data and information not only accumulates to technological but also financial gain. The terms cyber security, cyber law, and hacking are not new in today’s world. Many people are well-tuned to the digital world. From paying bills to phone calls or to store important documents electronically, digital platforms have become a much convenient option. With the platform gaining importance, threats induced by cyber-crime have also affected a diverse number of public and private organizations. The servers and data centers of such organizations are much prone to cyber-attacks.
Any individual or organization could be an easy target for hackers. Therefore, it has become more important to protect the information system and infrastructure from hackers by implementing cybersecurity best practices and enforcing cybersecurity laws. The Government of Nepal has also implemented many cyber laws such as the Electronic Transaction Act, 2063. And, there are other Cyber related acts and laws, such as National Cyber Security Policy 2016, and IT Bill 2018 are in process of amendment. Recently, Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) launched Cyber Security Bylaw, 2077 (2020) meeting cybersecurity standards and by showing best practices to protect IT infrastructure from various malicious attacks and threats to building trust and confidence of users towards using ICT technology and services of NTA.
This week on 11th September 2020 the Information Security Response Team Nepal (npCert) hosted an open discussion on the topic “Multi Stakeholders Discussion on NTA Cyber Security Byelaws, 2077”.
Download the NTA Cybersecurity Byelaws 2020: Click Here
Day by day, we are witnessing digital convergence of communication, services and workflows in organizations at an ever increasing rate. Governments, businesses & industries and social organizations, regardless of their organizational types, structure, and services they provide, all are adopting digital platforms for the right information and service delivery to the right people at the right time.
The proliferation in adoption of digital platforms by organizations has also led to questions on safety, security, reliability and quality of services to their consumers, end-users, partners and stakeholders at large. The risks that arise due to lack of safe, secure, reliable and quality digital services impact not only individuals or particular businesses but the nation and society as a whole.
When the safety, security, reliability and quality of service are breached, organizations face lack of direction and tremendous pressure on resolving the issues. Many organizations, although have business continuity plans in place, find it very difficult to be resilient when such breaches occur.
Information Security Response Team, Nepal, also known as npCert, was established in 2016 as an initiation of IT professionals, Academicians, and IT enthusiasts from Government and private sector to build a responsible and reliable institution that can provide guidance, support and services whenever safety, security, reliability and quality of service are breached in Nepali organizations.
Throughout its journey, npCert has collaborated with Nepali and international organizations forming a global alliance and bringing in global expertise in Nepal’s cyber security arena. From awareness raising programs to Global Cyber Security Summit, npCert’s contributions in Nepal’s cyber landscape have received appreciations from various government agencies, businesses and the society. npCert has well orchestrated a professional support network by collaborating with ThaiCert, TechCert, CheckPoint etc. on various occasions.
In the coming days, npCert strives to grow further and collaborate more to establish itself as a responsible CERT in Nepal for Nepali organizations.
In the current context of growing use of digital services during the COVID-19 pandemic, cyber security attacks are also increasing. To address this issue, npCert has started a National Cybersecurity Dialogue series in Multi-Stakeholder Approach focusing on strategies and solutions that Nepali organizations can adapt to deliver safe, secure and reliable digital services to their consumers.
And, our program for today is “Role of Ethical Hackers for National Security”.
A. Program Objectives
To identify the role of ethical hackers and their support in protecting the public, organizations, and governments from cybersecurity attacks.
B. Target audience
We are expecting participants from various background, including but not limited to :
IT Professionals
Ethical Hackers
Businesses
Government Agencies
C. Speaker profile
Speakers and Moderator in a banner
Mr. Baburam Aryal | CEO at Delta Law
Babu Ram Aryal is a prominent Cyber Law and Media Technology expert, based in Kathmandu. He has extensive experience and knowledge on International Business Law, Intellectual Property Law and Telecommunication Law.
Mr. Aryal has significant intervention at national and international level research on cyber law and policy. Some of major involvements are: “Cyber Crime Trends in Nepal-2015” conducted for the Office of the Controller of Certification Authority, “Review of the ICT laws in Nepal, 2013”, conducted for the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, “Drafting Umbrella IT Bill, 2014”, conducted for Department of IT and “Drafting E-Governance Bill, 2013” conducted for High Level Commission for Information Technology, “Use of Criminal Laws to curb Freedom of Expression Online” conducted for Internet Society Nepal. At International level, he lead the research team for Affordability Index for 10 South and South East Asian Economies.
Mr. Aryal holds Masters Degree in Law (LLM) from Pune University, India and went to Oxford-Annenberg Summer Institute, Oxford, UK and US Telecommunication Training Institute (USTTI), Washington DC where he trained on Media Policy, Cybersecurity and ICT Policy. He teaches (Part Time) Cyber Law and Intellectual Property Law at Tribhuvan University, the oldest University in Nepal.
Mr. Dilli Prasad Sharma | Founder Member of npCert
PhD in Computer Science, Cybersecurity University of Canterbury, Christchurch, NZ
Dr. Sharma is a Member of Board of Directors of the Samriddhi College, Lokanthali Bhaktapur. He received a PhD degree in Computer Science from the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. His research interests include Cybersecurity, Moving Target Defense, Security Metrics and Measurements, and Cybersecurity Modeling and Analysis of Emerging Computing and Network Technologies such as Cloud Computing, IoT, and SDNs.
Dr. Rajib Subba | DIG, Director at Communication Directorate, Nepal Police HQ
PhD in Communication and Information Science University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii, USA
Dr. Rajib Subba, Deputy Inspector General of Police, is the Director of Communication Directorate, Nepal Police Headquarters, Kathmandu, Nepal. He is a visiting faculty at Kings College Kathmandu, Tribhuvan University and University of Agder, Norway. He teaches MIS, Leadership and Crisis Management.
His interdisciplinary academic qualifications include BE in Electronics and Communication (India), MBA in MIS (Nepal) and PhD in Communication and Information Sciences (Hawaii, USA). His research explores Crisis Management, Social Media and Cyber Security and he is credited with several articles and research papers as well as ICT Publications.
In 2015, he was awarded with National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) Award by Prime Minister of Nepal.
Mr. Ramesh Pokharel | Assistant Director, National Information Technology Center
Ms. Roja Kiran Basukala | Deputy Director at NTA and Third Vice President at CSRI Nepal
Ms. Basukala is a young and energetic Engineer looking for research in cybersecurity and information security in Nepal. She is working at Nepal Telecommunications Authority as a Deputy Director where a part of her job description includes cybersecurity in Nepal. She has published research papers in Residential home network security in IEEE and other conferences and journals.
Mr. Saroj Kafle | ISO at Siddhartha Bank and Founder Member of CSRI Nepal
Information security Officer at Siddhartha Bank Limited. He has significant experience in IT Audit, technology governance, information security, risk management and project management in the financial sector for 14+ years. He is a Founder member of Center for Cyber Security and Research Innovation (CSRI).
A dedicated results-oriented IT Security Professional who applies knowledge and skills to protect an organization’s vital information assets through vulnerability assessment and penetration testing on corporate network and Web applications .He also enjoys occasional speaking engagements and welcomes opportunities to share his experiences contributing back to Industry.
