DECEMBER 20169To get a better perspective of things, let us suppose the bank staff orders lunch online, making transactions using his company email address. Not comprehending the consequences, the password that he uses to log in to the bank's systems, he uses the same to place the order. Simply doing this could put the bank into a precarious situation, as this could open the gateway to hackers' hell. With this, cyber hackers can mechanize attacks on businesses with weaker security, which in this case could be the outlet where he ordered lunch from. This would make it easy for the hackers to get their hands on the login credentials of the bank staff and hack into to bank's website and barge into the bank's secured networks. As people spend more and more time online, the rate of device con-nectivity continues to grow expo-nentially. Additionally, with services and conveniences offered by internet, people mostly tend to forget the risks they are exposed to. While experienc-ing mobile phone theft has always been displeasing, losing a smartphone could be downright detrimental. The more people opt for mobile banking, digital wallets and personal organiza-tion applications, the more they be-come susceptible to cyber-attacks. If we apply this concept to all private and public sectors, one cannot help but wonder how much valuable infor-mation has been left under-protected over the years.Despite the widespread digital frenzy, where all information is be-ing collected and catalogued digi-tally, cyber-security still remains a major concern. One of the grave and surprising causes hindering such se-curity progressions is the basic online security concerns for individual pri-vacy. These shortcomings also bring back the unending debate between the right to personal privacy and the need for security. Evolution of PerceptionAmid such cyber security mayhem, there is yet another way of looking at the situation. Many experts are of the opinion that such cyber security cri-sis could be the breeding ground for change. As the pile of security breach cases grow, the outcry for reform seems to grow louder and louder. With the Modi Government launching its ambitious campaigns like `Digital India' & `Smart City' projects, India is reaching a tipping point, where the success of these projects depends en-tirely on the cyber security measures adopted. The cyber-attacks seem to be having a dominos effect on people, with them waking up to the concept of deeper security prerequisites. While the concept of `Dominos effect' was first theorized during the Cold-war era, drawing an analogy to the pro-liferation of communist ideologies from one country to another, the term is now widely being used to describe the latent threats of cyber-attacks in an increasingly connected world. This implies that even if one's personal network is fully protected, it is not enough to guarantee an all-inclusive protection,with more and more systems of information becom-ing digitally connected. The theory very well explains how increasingly connected networks are susceptible to an entire system breach with the pres-ence of just one weak link.InferenceThe discussion above clearly estab-lishes that, while cyber-attack has been the cause of grave loses for many, contrariwise, it has also awakened the masses and authorities to the signifi-cance of cyber-security in India. None-theless, this awakening is only the first step and holds no consequences, unless a meaningful and widespread reform in institutional standards of cy-ber-security in created. In a nutshell, although the World Wide Web or the cyber space has its benefits, it certain-ly comes with its downsides that make individuals and entities vulnerable to risks, which needs a collective effort at every level. Organizations seeking security approaches that enable them to focus on their business is changing the face of the cyber-security industryNilesh Jain
< Page 8 | Page 10 >