India needs to move aggressively in areas of cybersecurity, cyber hygiene: IT Secretary

NEW DELHI: As connected systems and increasing use of smartphones raise risk of vulnerabilities, India with its proven prowess in software and services should now move aggressively in the area of cybersecurity, a senior IT Ministry official said on Wednesday.

“We have an estimated USD 1.9 billion (about Rs 13,500 crore) in cybersecurity service business, and USD 450 million (about Rs 3,200 crore) of cybersecurity products business from India. There is also presence of multinational and Indian entities which engage in R&D in cybersecurity…all of it currently amounts to USD 5 billion (about Rs 35,500 crore) worth cybersecurity ecosystem in India,” IT Secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney said.