Until August 2020, India encountered almost seven lakh cyber-attacks informed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to the Parliament. Increased malware and ransomware have modeled a more significant threat to its cybersecurity, sovereignty, and integrity.
In this fast-moving world, the Internet of Things (IoT) has become the most demanded technology in every industry.
From the oil and energy sector to the automotive industry, the Internet of Things is making operations able to withstand pressure and bring crisp results. With its sustainable medium, the technology is also gearing up its prestigious project for bringing the Fifth Generation (5G) network. Apart from being used as technology, the Internet of Things has also become the most demanded product.
However, despite all the positives that the technology indicates, connecting different sources without upgrading security grants more straightforward access to cyber attackers and hackers. The current COVID-19 outbreak has already exposed the urgency to have an upgraded cybersecurity infrastructure. Since these cyber-attacks are not confined to only healthcare infrastructure and pervade other industries such as defense, it demands a comprehensive strategy to protect systems while holding on to the ongoing technology.
Sadly, the lack of a regulatory framework for any technology becomes a significant barrier to thwart cyberattacks, ransomware, and malware. Without proper rules and regulations, technologies like artificial intelligence and IoT often become unconscionable. Limited knowledge by the IoT vendors and users also advances the security challenges with IoT. Henceforth, it becomes imperative to formulate a regulatory framework that monitors the IoT usage and cyberattack incidents to counter cyberattacks. For this, India can learn how to maintain IoT standards from its trustworthy friends. For example, the European body ETSI has released specific rules for the acquisition and usage of IoT.
The European Cybersecurity body reveals that the EN is made in such a way to fend off large-scale, prevalent attacks against smart devices that cybersecurity experts see every day. By obeying the standards, EN will restrict attackers’ ability to control devices across the world known as botnets, which instigate DDoS attacks, mine cryptocurrency, and spy on users in their own homes. By eliminating these attacks, the EN represents a colossal boost in its threshold security and privacy.
This kind of regulatory framework can be deployed by the Indian cybersecurity organization so that vendors and consumers comply with the IoT standards. By positioning a regulatory body, the variation in the security network can be identified.
Another effective method to overcome cyberattacks, ransomware, and malware is educating the consumers about upgraded security networks and the possible implications of disrupted IoT networks. Make someone aware of or familiar with the simple measures such as having a distinguished network for IoT devices, having inviolable and complicated passwords of IoT devices, and building a firewall will make the consumers more alert about their IoT devices and the network security, which will in turn as a savior in lessening the gravity of an offense or mistake by the cyberattacks.
