According to the latest report of the global cybersecurity and digital privacy company Kaspersky, 34% of users in India were targeted by local threats in the year 2023. Kaspersky products detected and blocked 74,385,324 local incidents on the computers of Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) participants in India placing the country in 80th position worldwide.
These statistics represent the malicious programmes found directly on user’s computers or removable media connected to them (flash drives, camera memory cards, phones, external hard drives) or that initially made their way onto the computer in non-open form (for example, programmes in complex installers or encrypted files). India’s cybersecurity market reached an impressive USD 6.06 billion in 2023. However, according to the IDC, the alarming increase in sophisticated external cyber threats and cybersecurity attacks is one of the greatest challenges for majority of enterprises in establishing organisational trust today, to the extent that almost 67% of Indian enterprises are looking to outsource key areas of security landscape to managed security service providers in next three years.
“As our country moves to be more digitally connected, it’s expected that the cyber threat landscape in India will continue to evolve. Enterprises and individuals alike must reconsider how they approach cybersecurity and adopt a more reliable approach that leaves no room for error. With the rise of AI use and the consistent digital payment adoption here, it has become imperative for organisations to continuously improve their cybersecurity posture to protect their assets and maintain stakeholder trust,” says Jaydeep Singh, General Manager for South Asia at Kaspersky. While the local threat numbers dipped slightly in India, Kaspersky continues to remind users to keep their guards up against this menace.
To help users reduce their risk of being affected by malware, the company recommends:
• Keep your devices, software, and applications up-to-date with the latest security patches and updates.
• Use strong and unique passwords for each of your online accounts. Consider using a password manager to generate and store your password securely.
• Be cautious of suspicious emails, messages, and phone calls that ask for your personal or financial information. Verify the authenticity before sharing any sensitive information.
• Enable two-factor authentication for your online accounts wherever possible. This provides an extra layer of security by requiring a secondary form of authentication in addition to your password.
• Use a reliable security solution to keep your data safe. It not only prevents attacks on your devices but also creates a secure connection to protect your data.
For organisations, it is recommended to better recognise and protect against attacks by taking the following suggestions:
• Regularly check and install new update patches to fix vulnerabilities in security.
• Provide training courses on cybersecurity for employees and implement strong password standards and policies in the enterprise.
• Make backups of important business data.
• Use multi-factor authentication especially when accessing financial information or logging into a corporate network.
• Use a trusted business security solution to detect potential attack threats in time and adjust your defense plan.