Role Of Cybersecurity In The Present Indian Context And The Road Ahead

 “No technology that’s connected to the internet is unhackable.”

 ― Abhijit Naskar

As we allow the implications of the above words stated by the author of the riveting tech bestseller, ‘The Gospel of Technology’ to sink deep in our minds, we only begin to discern the nature of the two-edged sword that is technology. That being said, there is an immediate need for a robust augmentation of cybersecurity solutions in India and creating an optimum infrastructural capacity for the same, both at a domestic and central level. With businesses, banks, hospitals, finance companies, etc. relocating to the online digital realm due to the COVID-19 disruption, the risk of cyber-breaches rises manifold.

On India’s 74^th Independence Day celebrations when PM Modi addressed the whole country, his speech also touched on a couple of seminal issues regarding cybersecurity and national interest. As a prolific orator, he outlined the need for a robust and all-encompassing new cybersecurity policy that will help secure information, safeguard the personal data of every citizen, and dissuade the spread of misinformation.

It is heartening to observe the well-informed stand taken by the government in taking due cognizance of cybersecurity threats and their potential impact on the Indian society, economy, and overall state of affairs.

Creating a fortified and agile cybersecurity ecosystem in India is now even more imperative with the bulk of the country’s businesses transitioning to digital pathways. Almost every organization across the globe has enacted a ‘Work from Home’ policy for the indefinite future. This means that employees are operating remotely from the confines of their residences with no or very little cyber protection.

Such a scenario, if unchecked and unguarded against, leaves organizations at the behest of cyber-criminals. Though the transition to online digital pathways where all information and data are stored on cloud networks is somewhat unceremonious and abrupt, organizations have no time to waste. Companies must invest in setting up the latest state-of-the-art cybersecurity solution stacks that are well-equipped in dealing with the various types of cyberattacks.

With the evolving technological arsenal of cyber-fiends and masterminds, it is imperative that Indian businesses too must come to an equal footing. Organizations need to calibrate the various cutting-edge advancements in the field of cybersecurity innovation to deter the ever-rising expanse of cyber-attacks that lurk in close proximity. Establishing fortifications like a competent firewall, anti-virus software, and an extensive range of cybersecurity architecture is only half the battle won.

Companies also need to implement the latest cybersecurity training regimes for their employees using real-time virtual cyber-defensive simulations and experiential modules. These are extremely useful in extending hands-on knowledge for efficiently combating the vast surfeit of cyber-attacks on an everyday basis. The business sector has its share of good news on this front. According to the officials, the latest cybersecurity will revolve around making the country’s cyber defense architecture invulnerable through a combined effort emanating from various institutional structures, people, processes, and technologies.

As cybersecurity is a pragmatic field of expertise, it is best imbibed in dynamic real-time environments and innovation centers. Using out of the box tools and a proactive practice-based methodology, these can effectively train cybersecurity personnel in the various defensive mechanisms by replicating real-world attacks and breaches and neutralizing them.

The government of India must ensure the creation of novel 360-degree institutions and agile cyber academies that are technologically equipped to proffer the essential training and vocation to countless tech-aspirants in the country. The novel cybersecurity rolled by the PM aspires to augment the country’s critical cybersecurity infrastructure in a bid to efficiently shield public and private data by curtailing data-theft and thwarting cybercrimes.

Concerning the transforming business vista, the country must be mindful of the inevitability of cyberattacks and data breaches, and the ramifications therein. In a hyper-connected digital world, the risk of businesses witnessing a barrage of cyber onslaughts can only multiply.

The recent cases such as the spree of cyber-assaults that sought to devastate the Australian public utility system can function as an analytical case-study to understand the various chinks in our deficient cybersecurity infrastructure. India still suffers from a major dearth of cybersecurity experts.

It has only about 100,000 qualified cybersecurity professionals in contrast to its current need of 1 Mn as per reports from DSCI. The new cybersecurity policy proposed by the government should immediately address such glaring deficiencies in the Indian cyber security vista.

The government of India along with private technocrats should also oversee the steady injection of capital for creating an overall robust, nimble, and proficient cybersecurity defense system and architecture for the country. As outlined by PM Modi in his Independence Day speech, designing an in-depth and consummate hyper-security module for the plethora of cyber-attacks and hacks is the most pressing need of the hour.