Karnataka Brings In Policy To Curb Cybercrimes

In an effort to combat the rising cases of cybercrimes and to safeguard the state’s digital infrastructure, the Karnataka government has rolled out a cybersecurity policy aimed at building a strong ecosystem across all segments of the state, including public, academia, industry, startups and the government.

Apart from this, the policy will also focus on strengthening the cybersecurity posture of the state’s IT assets. 

Addressing the launch event, Karnataka’s information technology and biotechnology (IT/BT) and rural development and panchayati raj (RDPR) minister Priyank Kharge said, “We made this policy to create a safe online space for our citizens and businesses.This policy will significantly protect the state’s digital infrastructure and foster innovation and growth within the cybersecurity sector.”

He underlined that the policy, which is aligned with national and international efforts, highlights Karnataka’s proactive stance in addressing cyber threats.

The minister further added that the policy would significantly protect the state’s digital infrastructure. “It will also foster innovation and growth within the cybersecurity sector, ensuring that Karnataka remains at the forefront of technological advancement and becomes the leading cybersecurity hub of the country.”

This comes at a time when incidents related to digital breaches have become more common at a global scale. Most recently, big tech Microsoft has suffered a major global outage in its services, primarily impacting users of its software offering Microsoft 365. 

The outage impacted industries like airline operations as well as India’s brokerage business. Globally, the damages were higher, with even the London Stock Exchange (LSE) being down for several years. The outage was directly caused by a cybersecurity related discrepancy. 

Besides another cybersecurity incident at crypto exchange WazirX led to the loss of nearly $240 Mn for its user base earlier this month.