Future of Work 2020: From needle to airplane, everything is hackable, says India’s leading cybersecurity guru

“Every industry is hackable today. From the needle to the airplane, everything is hackable. Smart technology penetration into organisations and even into homes leaves everyone susceptible to hacking.” 

These remarks were made by Vineet Kumar, one of India’s most sought-after cyber security gurus.  

Speaking at the third edition of YourStory's Future of Work, India’s largest product-tech-design conference, Vineet spoke at length about the challenges of cyber security and the importance of spreading awareness. 

With messages that lure users with money and prizes, to countries readying themselves for cyber warfare, Vineet says that people are facing increasing threats of cyber attacks and data leaks. 

As the world becomes more connected through devices, cybersecurity awareness and policies take centrestage. Through his non-governmental organisation, Cyber Peace Foundation, launched in 2003, Vineet is involved in promoting cyber peace and building trust in technology and the internet. 

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Cyber Peace Foundation is a leading multi-stakeholders initiative and is crowdsourcing cybersecurity needs for civil society. The organisation has over 12,000 members and 1,200 volunteers, from different parts of the world. It engages in spreading awareness and promoting technical research and in bringing together the government, industry experts, and academia. 

With the help of bug bounty hunters and ethical hackers, Cyber Peace Foundation helps SMBs and startups find vulnerabilities in their networks and patch up areas that might be open to hacks. It also helps bug bounty hunters hone their skills through hackathons. In its effort to take the message of being safe on the internet to children, it conducts creative competitions like poster making. 

In order to help people against hacks and attacks, Vineet suggests that preparedness can help fend off big casualties. Through its annual event, Global Cyber Challenge, it helps executives and organisations to handle an attack. 

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This year, India will have one billion connected users. The digital economy today comprises 14-15 percent of India’s total economy, and is expected to reach 20 percent by 2024, Vineet says. 

Throwing light on the need for safer cyberspace, he says, “There are different ways and means through which your data can be stolen. By just clicking on one link, all your data can be gone and you may not even realise that your data is gone."

Apart from cybercrimes like stalking, child pornography, and online bullying, misinformation is also increasingly becoming a worrying trend, he said.

Individuals, organisations, and countries can become victims of ransomwares, hacks, and leaks. Sensitive information can be leaked to the general public, he added. 

Discussing the measures to stay safe, he proposes that organisations conduct cyber security mock drills, train employees, and have backups in place.

(Edited by Javed Gaihlot)

A big shout out to our Future of Work 2020 Sponsors: Alibaba Cloud, Larksuite, Vodafone Idea Limited, Gojek, Adobe, Udaan, Pocket Aces, Junglee Games, ShareChat, Open, Vestaspace Technology, Maharashtra State Innovation Society, Kristal.AI and GetToWork; and our Knowledge Partner: Ascend Harvard Business Review.