Can handle all hacking threats: Cyber security chief

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 3

India’s top cyber security official is confident about countering attempts to hack the country’s digital network. At the same time, he exhorted corporates to improve their cyber awareness in order not to be caught napping by malevolent hackers.

National Cyber Security Coordinator Rajesh Pant said on Friday that the country has all the capabilities to handle cyber security issues and the workforce manning them has an edge over other countries.

Lt. Gen (retd) Pant’s remarks come against the backdrop of Chinese hackers attempting to debilitate India’s digital services as a spillover of tensions on the border.

Addressing a webinar on ‘Cyber Crime Management during Covid’ organised by FICCI, he said, “Our systems are well in place and more importantly, the people who are handling the cyber security in our country, have an edge along with the software which is key in this.’’

Highlighting the urgency of cyber audits in various companies, Lt Gen Pant said that companies have to play an important role in ensuring that cyber security audits are not just mere a tick-box activity.

“All companies are expected to have a cyber audit done. The audit is done by an empanelled auditor and we have many auditors empanelled in India as on today. A lot of companies focus on minimum audits but more needs to be done. I urge all enterprises to get their cyber audits done, it’s for your own good,” he added.

Lt Gen Pant further stressed upon increasing awareness regarding cyber security. “The human being is the weakest link in the cyber security chain; so whatever you do, human beings become very important. Training, good cyber hygiene and good social engineering practices are essential,” he added.

Rahul Chaudhry who heads FICCI’s Homeland Security Committee described cyber security as a “hygiene issue’’ at the individual level. “It is an individual’s social responsibility to get cyber aware. We need to educate everyone about cyber hygiene, at the school level and even at the workplace,’’ he acknowledged.