Egypt advanced to become among the top 12 countries on the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) in 2023 and 2024 Egypt scoring 100 points out of the index’s total points.
Countries around the globe are improving cybersecurity efforts, but stronger actions are needed to meet evolving cyber threats, according to the GCI 2024 released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
ITU is the United Nations specialised agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), driving innovation in ICTs together with 193 member states and a membership of over 1,000 companies, universities, and international and regional organisations.
On average, countries have taken more cybersecurity-related actions and improved their cybersecurity commitments since the last index was released in 2021.
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.
“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.”
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.
GCI 2024 also uses a new five-tier analysis, a shift that allows a greater focus on each country’s advances with cybersecurity commitments and resulting impacts.
The report places 46 countries in Tier 1, the highest of the five tiers, reserved for “role modelling” countries that demonstrate a strong commitment in all five cybersecurity pillars.
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.
A “cyber capacity 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. “ITU’s cybersecurity projects and programmes 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.”
