Financial loss from cyberattacks amounts to INR 2600 crore in India

DIMAPUR — Director of the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), Kohima, L Lanuwabang has cautioned the public about the dangers lurking in the cyberspace, pointing out that 90% of cybercrime takes place due to the user behaviour.

‘We are living in a digital world where we depend so much on technology every day; to be aware and safely participate in cyberspace is of paramount importance,’ he told Eastern Mirror.

Speaking about the ‘Initiative for cyber secure aware society (ICSAS)’, an application developed by the NIELIT Kohima, he said security comes from the users and not expensive mobile phones or antivirus software.

The ICSAS app was launched at the recent G20 digital economy working group meet in Bengaluru.

‘The first security in the line is you. You should be aware and informed about various threats,’ he said.

‘NIELIT, being the scientific and capacity-building arm of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, is proactively educating the citizens of the country in different spectra,’ he added.

The director of NIELIT cautioned the users not to click unknown links being shared on their mobile phones, as maximum cybercrime and attacks come through phishing mechanisms.

If one user unknowingly clicks a fraudulent link, it will affect the entire organisation. So user awareness is vital. That is why, this app is being developed, he shared.

He went on to say that thousands of data are being uploaded on the internet on a daily basis and one should be very cautious about what they upload in the internet, because the digital footprints, once up there, will be there forever.

India has the second largest number of internet users in 2023 at almost 750 million and the maximum users are through mobile phones, he said citing reports.

Threats and cybercrime across the globe is unbelievable. In 2022, there were around 6.99 lakh number of financial fraud cases in India; in July 2023, the financial fraud cases were almost 19.94 lakh with the financial loss due to cybercrime and threats amounting close to INR 2600 crore, he informed.

‘In India, 133 cybercrimes are committed every minute on an average. Every day, around 20,000 scams are reported in the country. Considering these, it is our duty to give something back to the society,’ the engineer asserted, adding that there could be many unreported cases due to lack of knowledge on where and how to report, fear of being victimised, and to avoid damaging image of organisations.

Some of the most common cybercrimes being reported in Nagaland include financial frauds, extortion, impersonation, and scams in departments, he informed.

How to stay away from cyber attacks

The first priority, he observed, is to keep one’s software and operating system updated as software released by companies is not foolproof security; users also must use cyber security tools like antivirus.

Most of the cybercrimes take place via fraudulent link. Do not click the link one is not sure of because phishing is the most common cyber attack, he warned.

The engineer said users should be careful of the content they share on social media platforms and make their accounts private or limited to a close circle as far as possible, saying that criminals look out for the type of information users upload.

He further advised the users to use strong passwords and change often.

“Knowledge is your best defence in the digital realm,” he said, stressing the importance of cyber security education and awareness.

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