Crying need to secure uncharted cyber frontiers

Crying need to secure uncharted cyber frontiers

Context

As the world’s second-largest digital nation, India’s biggest risk in 2017, according to the FICCI–Pinkerton India Risk Survey 2017, was in the area of ‘information and cyber insecurity’ for business operations.

Incidents

• India was the third-worst affected country during the WannaCry ransomware attacks in May 2017
• In June 2017, operations at one of the three terminals in India’s largest port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust near Mumbai, was disrupted due to the Petyacyberattack
• In October 2017, Seqrite Intelligence Labs discovered an advertisement announcing secret access to the servers and databases of over 6,000 Indian organisations

Steps to protect Indian business against cybercrimes

• A more robust cyber security policy: India’s existing cybersecurity policy of 2013 needs to be made more robust to push back digital intrusions at all levels
• Cybersecurity agency needs to be set up: A national cybersecurity agency needs to be set up to develop appropriate strategy and action plans
• Shared best practices on security: Close partnership between government and private enterprises can ensure that best practices on security and intelligence on intrusions are comprehensively shared to build better incident response capabilities
• A National gold standard for adherence: Creating a national gold standard for hardware and software adherence to highest safety protocols is also important
• Enhancing technical capabilities: Businesses must enhance technological and investigative capabilities through research, development and intelligence sharing.
• Building competencies: Equally important are building competencies to develop advanced solutions in business continuity, risk analysis, operating systems, firmware and cyberforensics.

Protection of the Children

• An estimated 100 million children in India are expected to access the Internet by 2018.
• Themes of security awareness: knowledge, responsibility and

Privacy: What can and should not be shared?

• How do they choose who they interact with online? What can be the consequences of their actions? How can they safeguard themselves from the big, bad cyberwolves?

Initiation from school: We need to teach children cyberdefense from the school age.

Conclusion

Cyber as a war zone is becoming increasingly real — and everything from social media to mobile phones now have a cyber impact that we cannot shrug off. A seismic shift to smarter cybersecurity is the need of the hour.