RBI Cybersecurity Framework for Banks
The Reserve Bank of India has issued comprehensive cybersecurity guidelines for banks and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs). These frameworks mandate security controls, incident reporting, and governance structures specific to the Indian financial sector.
Key Directives
IT Governance
- Board-level IT Strategy Committee
- IT Steering Committee for operational oversight
- Separate IT risk management function
- Annual IT audit by qualified auditors
SOC Requirements
- Banks with digital assets above threshold must have 24x7 SOC
- SOC must monitor network, application, and database layers
- Integration with CERT-In and IDRBT
- Real-time alert correlation and incident management
Technology Risk Management
- Comprehensive vulnerability management program
- Quarterly penetration testing by CERT-In empaneled auditors
- Patch management with defined SLAs (critical: 7 days)
- Secure software development lifecycle (SSDLC)
Incident Reporting
- Report cyber incidents to RBI within 2-6 hours based on severity
- Report to CERT-In within 6 hours
- Maintain forensic investigation capability
- Root cause analysis for all incidents
Data Protection
- Encryption standards for data at rest and transit
- Database Activity Monitoring (DAM)
- Privileged Access Management (PAM)
- Anti-phishing and anti-fraud controls for digital banking
Implementation Priorities
- Establish IT governance structure with board oversight
- Deploy or enhance SOC capabilities
- Implement comprehensive VAPT program
- Configure incident reporting workflows with RBI and CERT-In
- Deploy DAM and PAM solutions
- Conduct annual DR drills and BCP testing
SuperClue RBI Module
SuperClue's RBI framework scan runs 12 checks covering areas such as access control, network security, incident response, and vendor risk. It checks your external website and asks for evidence for the rest.