It was established by the former prime minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 19 November 1998, with Brajesh Mishra as the first National Security Advisor.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is the chairman of the group and it consists of the following members: The Strategic Policy Group undertakes the Strategic Defence Review, a blueprint of short and long term security threats, as well as possible policy options on a priority basis.

The NSAB has currently two subordinate bodies working under it : (i) National Information Board (NIB) and (ii) Technology Coordination Group (TCG).

It aims to protect the cyber space including critical information infrastructure from attack, damage, misuse and economic espionage.

In the case of nodal entity, India's Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in) is playing a crucial role under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology(MEITY).

On 15 June 2021, the Government of India launched the Trusted Telecom Portal signalling the coming into effect of the National Security Directive on Telecommunication Sector (NSDTS).