CHALLNGES TO SMART LIFE

At the launch of Digital India Week on July 1, 2015, PM Modi had some encouraging words, “I dream of a Digital India where cyber security becomes an integral part of our national security… The world is so worried about cyber security. One click can change a lot of things…”  However what he did not mention publicly was that the Digital India initiative was only as good as the last cyber attack that could take down all this critical citizen data. It is the bitter truth that while technology, funds and proposals for smart devices and applications which will set the pace for Digital India are in place, inadequate security in place could actually derail the whole thing.

According to the security Threat Trends 2015, by Sophos, cyber security is a huge threat but what’s more frightening is the manifold increase in threats through IoT applications- where the vulnerability points increase manifold. Since IoT is still an emerging technology, securing all leaks isn’t even on the horizon. Cyber attacks will have a field day when these technologies become the center point of Digital installations across the country. Cyber attacks in Indian enterprises, that went up four fold  (13000 to 62000) between 2011 and 2014, are all set to become even more dangerous in 2016. A KPMG reports says, almost 72% of all companies in India faced cyber attacks in 2015. According to an ASSOCHAM-Mahindra SSG study, 2015 saw about 300,000 cyber crimes in 2015 while globally, nearly 300 million records leaked and over $1 billion were stolen in cyber attacks in 2015. These are big numbers, and any single one of these attacks can derail and entire Smart City. Are we prepared for it?

With almost 371 million mobile internet users expected by June 2016, the chances of an attack on any node go up infinitely. While nobody can commit to 100% security, the going may be very thorny, and require additional investments for security, to ensure this  digital excitement can be supported by real world advantages.