Countries around the globe are improving cybersecurity efforts despite the need for stronger actions to meet evolving cyber threats, according to Thursday’s Global Cybersecurity Index 2024, published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
According to the outlook, more governments have taken cybersecurity-related actions and improved their cybersecurity commitments since the last index was released in 2021.
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Unlike the previous edition, the &039;GCI 2024' introduced a new five-tier analysis, offering a closer look at each country's progress in cybersecurity commitments.
The report ranked 46 countries in Tier 1, the highest tier designated for "role modeling" nations with strong dedication across all five cybersecurity pillars.
According to the report, the new shift allows for a greater focus on each country’s advances with cybersecurity commitments.
For instance, Rwanda scored 98 percent, placing the country in Tier 1, among other 45 countries globally. Five of the 46 are African countries: Rwanda, Mauritius, Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania.
The breakdown
ITU's Global Cybersecurity Index 2024 (GCI 2024) assesses national efforts across five pillars, representing country-level cybersecurity commitments: legal, technical, organizational, capacity development, and cooperation, and then aggregated into an overall score.
Most countries are either "establishing" (Tier 3) or "evolving" (Tier 4) in terms of cybersecurity.
The 105 countries in these tiers have largely expanded digital services and connectivity but still need to integrate cybersecurity measures.
Authors of the report noted that a "cybercapacity gap" – characterized by limitations in skills, staffing, equipment, and funding – was evident in many countries and across all regional groups.
"The Global Cybersecurity Index 2024 shows significant improvements by countries that are implementing essential legal measures, plans, capacity building initiatives, and cooperation frameworks, especially in strengthening incident response capabilities," said Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau.
He added; "ITU's cybersecurity projects and programs are supporting those national efforts to more effectively manage cyber threats, and I hope that the progress demonstrated by this latest index encourages countries to do more in developing secure and trustworthy digital systems and networks."
Africa shines in the latest index
According to GCI 2024, the African region has advanced the most in cybersecurity since 2021.
According to ITU, the world's least developed countries (LDCs) have also started making gains, though they still need support to advance further and faster. GCI 2024 data shows that the average LDC has now reached the same level of cybersecurity status that many of the non-LDC developing countries had in 2021.
Land-locked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS) continue to face resource and capacity constraints on cybersecurity efforts.
"Building trust in the digital world is paramount," said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General.
"The progress seen in the Global Cybersecurity Index is a sign that we must continue to focus efforts to ensure that everyone, everywhere can safely and securely manage cyber threats in today's increasingly complex digital landscape."
Worrisome threats highlighted in the report include ransomware attacks targeting government services and other sectors, cyber breaches affecting core industries, costly system outages, and breaches of privacy for individuals and organizations.