INTOSAI: Cybersecurity & Remote Audits Work Plan

New Delhi, Sep 12 (PTI) The International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) has adopted the 2026-28 Work Plan, which prioritises cybersecurity audits and remote audits using Internet of Things technologies, CAG said in a release on Friday.

The work plan was adopted at the 34th Annual Meeting of INTOSAI Working Group on IT Audit (WGITA), which was held along with the 17th Steering Committee Meeting of the INTOSAI Knowledge Sharing Committee (KSC) in Hyderabad.

The four-day international event, hosted by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, K Sanjay Murthy, saw participation from delegates of 29 nationalities representing Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), global partner organisations, and domain experts from across the world, the release said.

At the WGITA meeting, members reviewed progress under the 2023-25 work plan, which included the development of detailed audit matrices to support the IT Audit Handbook, the release of INTOSAI Guidance-5101 on Information System Security Audits, and the creation of evaluation guidelines for assessing information systems.

"A key outcome of the meeting was the adoption of the 2026-28 Work Plan, which prioritises cybersecurity audits and remote audits using Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. The plan also reinforced commitments to research, capacity building, and development of new audit knowledge," CAG said on the concluding day of the event.

SAI India, in collaboration with IIT Madras, presented its initiative to develop a Large Language Model (LLM) trained on audit and inspection reports.

Additionally, a nine-month AI/ML certification programme was announced, which will be open to other SAIs across the world. Contributions from SAI China, Egypt, the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI), EUROSAI IT Working Group, and AFROSAI-E enriched the discussions and highlighted the value of international cooperation.

At the Steering Committee Meeting of KSC, participants appreciated the efforts of various working groups under the Knowledge Sharing Committee in driving forward the agenda of collaborative learning.

Presentations from the INTOSAI General Secretariat, IDI, and the SAI of the Czech Republic offered strategic insights and regional perspectives, CAG said.

"One of the highlights was a demonstration of India's PM GatiShakti initiative, showcasing how technologies like AI, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and big data can revolutionise infrastructure planning, monitoring, and audit processes, offering lessons relevant to countries around the world," it said.

In his closing remarks, CAG of India Murthy emphasised the critical importance of leveraging technology to promote transparency, accountability, and good governance.

He noted that through shared expertise and continued cooperation, INTOSAI can equip SAIs worldwide to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing digital era.

During the meeting, delegates held extensive discussions on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI), emerging technologies, and digital tools in strengthening public auditing, enhancing transparency and ensuring citizen-centric governance, the release said.