Even with such increasing dependency on computers, the majority of computer systems in Nepal, are still in danger of abuse and attacks. An attack on a business or an organization can cause substantial financial damage and can lead to the loss of irreplaceable data and customer trust. Similar attacks on government institutions might cripple them and even lead to theft or damage of sensitive data and plans. Today, sensitive customer information, financial data, intellectual property, and strategic plans maybe exposed to malicious intruders, over the internet. There is still a lack of adequate knowledge about network and security among internet users, be it an individual, or an organization. mis-configured or outdated operating systems, vulnerabilities in software, un patched systems, and a lack of security awareness by individual users provide a rich environment for intruders to exploit.

Currently, almost anyone connected to the internet or any other network is at risk. Over such networks and the internet, attacks can occur rapidly and spread over a large area, irrespective of the actual geographical locations of the computers. As a result, there is a growing need to be able to communicate, coordinate, analyze, respond to and prevent cyber attacks across different sectors. It is paramount that coordination and cooperation occurs among government, law enforcement, commercial organizations, the research community, and practitioners who have experience in responding to IT security incidents. There is also a strong need for developing a community of educated, trained, knowledgeable, and aware practitioners who understand the risks and issues related to cyber security incidents and the threats and attacks from system vulnerabilities.

      To address these prevalent issues the government of Nepal has recently materialized the Electronic Transaction Act (ETA), also popularly known as the Cyber Law of Nepal. The act is a first of its kind in Nepal and provides for the legal recognition of electronic records and digital signatures – the basic building blocks of electronic transactions. However there is a serious lack of skilled information security professionals to train, educate and serve the various entities relying on IT. NepCERT (Nepal Computer Emergency Response Team) has the prime objective to tackle these issues.