Cybercrime is a national security issue: Rajesh Pant

Last year, was the year of ransomware with some big-ticket attacks. This year it’s going to be the year of cooperation to ward off attacks, he said.

Lt Gen (Retd.) Dr. Rajesh Pant, National Cyber Security Coordinator, Government of India, has said that cybercrime is a national security issue and poses a biggest threat to a nation’s economic progress and various countries are coming together to ward off such threats. He was speaking at the 16^th edition of India Digital Summit 2022, organized by IAMAI.

About 32 nations have come together to fight the threat of ransomware. This year will be the year of consolidation and collaboration to keep cybercrimes at bay. Like-minded nations are finding solutions to it, he said.

The United Nations came out with 11 norms for responsible state behavior and various nations, including India, are planning how to implement these norms. Some of the norms are promoting inter-state corporation, respecting human rights and privacy, protecting critical infrastructure, safeguarding critical supply chains and preventing malicious use of digital technologies.

In 2020, when the pandemic broke out, we saw a number of phishing attacks. Last year, was the year of ransomware with some big-ticket attacks. This year it’s going to be the year of consolidation and cooperation to ward off certain attacks, he said.

The Indian cybersecurity services industry grew from USD 4.3 billion in 2019 to about USD 8.5 billion in 2021. The Indian cybersecurity products grew from USD 740 million in 2019 to reach USD 1.37 billion last year, as per reports.