DC Edit | India must up its ante on digital security

Most global experts now rank India as a country that has succeeded in taking the fruits of technological advancements to most of its citizens, especially in the fields of telecom and mobile, electronic payments and micro-payments based on mobile apps, and internet penetration and adaptability. Given that it was considered almost an impossible feat even 15 years ago, it is a great achievement for the country, its society and people, and all governments that played a part.

Having done so without the most optimal levels of prosperity, education, conventional computing and landline telephony prevalence, for a lower-income nation whose economic liberalisation was not too long back and with over a billion people, it is an extraordinary collective achievement. However, no boon comes without a tinge or a cusp of a curse attached.

With a mobile device in nearly every hand, the cheapest rates of internet connectivity and broadband, bank accounts and cyber payment options for almost every individual, India, the world's now most populous country has a huge allied risk and threat — cybercrime.

As per a recent report, India is now third globally in terms of the number of cyber threats it faces. Most citizens are at risk. The report finds that so commonplace have these attacks become now that there are also confirmed reports that currently, an attack surfaces across five lakh commercial clients and crores of individual consumers.

If over half a million businesses, many of them very small or micro, and millions of people are at risk, then it adds up cumulatively to being a national risk — both economic and social. Understandably, the USA tops the list, while surprisingly, it is not China but Brazil that comes second in the worst-impacted countries. America topped the list with the highest reported malware detection, while Japan topped it in the list of nations accessing malicious URLs.

As per Trend Micro’s 2023 mid-year cybersecurity threat report ‘Stepping Ahead of Risk’, India, USA and Brazil logged the most risks in manufacturing, healthcare and technology industries, based on an analysis of Attack Surface Risk Management data.

India is easily a country where most citizens can be classified as not being tech-savvy or too paranoid about security. In fact, we are easily a trusting nation, to the point of being outrightly gullible. People across all ages, levels of education, location, and other demographic divides, share our passwords, OTPs, and PINs about our financially sensitive devices.

Interestingly, and frighteningly, besides healthcare and technology, retail and government sectors have also been found to be highly vulnerable. Most Indian government services now operate with predominantly online extensions, and therefore, we must take these threats with utmost seriousness. Most citizens could and do lose money or access to key services, owing to these attacks.

With the usage of mobile technology and apps only likely to increase, it must almost become a national obsession to focus on customer education regarding cyber safety, best practices and adoption of security-friendly behaviour. It is almost a subject that is best taught to our youth and children early on in educational institutions.

Of a total of 1.63 crore high-risk email threats identified, including 1.43 crore malicious emails and phishing URLs, there were 17 lakh malware and 2.42 lakh business email compromise threats. Sadly, many of them were clicked and opened.

It is time we end the menace by fighting it as a pandemic.