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US has greatest commitment to cybersecurity, global index reveals

The Global Cybersecurity Index ranks Canada second for highest national commitment to cybersecurity, followed by Australia, Malaysia, and Oman.

December 11, 2014

ABI Research has released the latest version of the Global Cybersecurity Index, which ranks the United States as the country with the highest national cybersecurity commitment, followed by Canada. Australia, Malaysia, and Oman share third place, according to a news release.

The GCI is a joint project between ABI, a private sector firm, and the International Telecommunication Union, a specialized agency of the United Nations. The index examines the level of commitment in five areas — legal, technical and organizational measures, capacity building, and cooperation. The result is a country-level index and global ranking of cybersecurity readiness.

The GCI offers insights into national projects and best practices For example:

• India has put in place a nationwide Information Security Education and Awareness Program, as well as a number of regional cybersecurity training facilities for law enforcement;
• South Korea has developed a national information security index for assessing the information security level of the private sector; and
• Rwanda has established the Cyber Security Governance Framework for sharing information between government agencies, as well as a public-private cybersecurity partnership.

"The GCI represents a significant step forward not only in terms of international cooperation and public-private partnership, but also in promoting the importance of cybersecurity at the global level," said ABI Research Practice Director Michela Menting. "The project can only benefit from increased collaboration and we are pleased that the GCI will find a 2.0 iteration."

The full index and a worldwide cybersecurity commitment heatmap are available for free download.