National Cyber Security Strategy need of the hour: Experts at SAPI webinar

New Delhi: In the wake up call to the alarming rise in cybercrimes, particularly financial frauds, the Security and Policy Initiative (SAPI) recently organised a webinar that brought together eminent speakers from military and civilian spheres to deliberate on the issue. The webinar provided a platform for participants to gain insights into the latest trends, tactics, and strategies employed by cybercriminals.

The event, held on Saturday, December 30 featured prominent speakers such as Brig Saurabh Tewari from the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), renowned cyber expert Mr. Subimal Bhattacharjee, while Pradeep Gupta Founder SAPI made the opening remarks & introduced the topic of discussion.

The financial frauds skyrocketed from ₹2296 crore in 2022 to ₹5574 crore in 2023, underscoring the urgency of collaborative efforts in countering this escalating menace.

The event facilitated an open dialogue on emerging cyber threats, best practices for safeguarding against attacks, and the role of technology in bolstering defence mechanisms besides necessity to establish systems for cyberspace regulation.

Brig Saurabh Tewari (retd) spoke on ‘Review of India’s Eco System in fight against Cyber Crime’. While explaining the low conviction rate in Cyber crime as compared to crimes in physical space, he urged the stakeholders to strengthen the cyber law enforcement and judicial system. Necessity of a National Cyber Security Strategy was highlighted, besides measures to tackle transborder cybercrimes. He also explained about Internet of Behaviour.

Mr Subimal Bhattacharjee a distinguished Cyber Security expert who had been several International Committees on Cyber Space spoke about how Geopolitics is going to impact the Regulation of Cyberspace. He highlighted the necessity of Responsible State Behaviour in dealing with Cyberspace at Global level with multilateral & multistakeholder approach. There is Indian story contribution also to the Global cyberspace which has been acknowledged by world.

Mr Pradeep Gupta the founder of SAPI informed that as technology evolves, so do the tactics of cybercriminals. How major Tech platforms have become part of our daily lives. He cautioned on cognitive warfare being used by some powerful nations which is 4th domain besides land sea and air. SAPI remains committed to raising awareness and promoting collaboration among experts from various domains to strengthen our collective cybersecurity posture.

The audience included a wide spectrum of participants from Veterans, retd. bureaucrats, IIT professors, MDI students, IT Experts from US esp Silicon Valley had the opportunity to engage with and learn from the distinguished speakers.

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