Cybersecurity reports in the United States by Cisco show that thirty-one percent of organizations have at some point have encountered cyber-attacks on their operations technology. Cybersecurity breaches are no longer news. It is a topic that is finally being addressed due to the intensity and volume of attacks. 2019 is a fresh year and you can be sure that data breaches will not let up.

The United States’ vulnerabilities can lead to additional security incidents and cyber-attacks that disrupt critical operations; lead to inappropriate access to and disclosure, modification or destruction of sensitive information; and threaten national security, economic well-being and public health and safety, GAO stated. “These risks include insider threats from witting or unwitting employees, escalating and emerging threats from around the globe, steady advances in the sophistication of attack technology and the emergence of new and more destructive attacks,” the agency stated. “In particular, foreign nations—where adversaries may possess sophisticated levels of expertise and significant resources to pursue their objectives—pose increasing risks. Compounding these risks, IT systems are often riddled with security vulnerabilities—both known and unknown.”

Over 28,000 security incidents were reported by federal executive branch civilian agencies to the Department of Homeland Security in fiscal year 2019. United States is one of the countries with advanced technologies and we need to make sure that our systems and data’s are secured at all times.

With India carving a niche for itself in the IT sector, dependence on technology is also increasing. Some of the Cybersecurity challenges in India are as follows:

1. Lack of uniformity in devices used for internet access – With varying income groups in India, not everyone can afford expensive phones. In the US, Apple has over 44% market share. However, in India the iPhones with their higher security norms are used by less than 1% of mobile users.
2. Lack of national level architecture for Cybersecurity – Critical infrastructure is owned by private sector, and the armed forces have their own firefighting agencies.
3. Lack of separation – Unlike countries or states, in cyberspace there are no boundaries, thus making the armed forces, digital assets of ONGC, banking functions, etc. vulnerable to cyber-attacks from anywhere.
4. Lack of awareness – As there is no National regulatory policy in place for cybersecurity there is a lack of awareness at both company level as well as individual level. Domestic netizens can protect and be protected from the cyber-attacks only if there is a guided and supervised legal framework.

Citations –

“Cyber-Security Challenges in India.” Jigsaw Academy, www.jigsawacademy.com/cyber-security-challenges-in-india/.

“Key Issues: Cybersecurity Challenges Facing the Nation – High Risk Issue.” U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), www.gao.gov/key_issues/ensuring_security_federal_information_systems/issue_summary.

Kingori, Duncan. “Top 10 Cybersecurity Risks For 2019.” United States Cybersecurity Magazine, 17 Jan. 2019, www.uscybersecurity.net/risks-2019/.

Underwood, Posted by Kimberly. “The U.S. Government Urgently Needs to Address Cybersecurity Challenges.” SIGNAL Magazine, 25 Sept. 2018, www.afcea.org/content/us-government-urgently-needs-address-cybersecurity-challenges.