'SECURING INDIA'S DIGITAL FUTURE'

Joy Sekhri, Vice President of Cyber & Intelligence Solutions at Mastercard, shares insights on the critical focus areas and strategies to combat cyber threats in this interview. From harnessing AI to fortifying digital identities, Sekhri outlines a roadmap towards a safer digital future.

- Aanchal Ghatak

Can you elaborate on the top focus areas for cybersecurity leaders in India?

India is already in its techade, an age where companies are increasingly adopting digital technologies in its transformation processes. But with the increasing digitisation, there also lies multiple threats to safety of consumers online. Globally, the rate of cyber-crimes is rising, and India too is not far behind. Last year, India ranked in the top 10 nations that witnessed the most cyber-attacks.

Cybersecurity has quickly progressed from an IT challenge to a C-Suite priority; it’s now the top digital risk businesses face today. Mastercard recently released a report titled ‘Cybersecurity: Building trust in our digital age’ in partnership with AITE-Novarica and analysed by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). Some of the top priorities for cybersecurity leaders as revealed by the report are:

Artificial Intelligence (AI): For Indian cybersecurity leaders, AI plays a significant role in the realm of cybersecurity, presenting both advantages and challenges. On one hand, AI has evolved into an indispensable tool for bolstering defensive strategies, especially with features like threat detection, incident response, and predictive analytics. However, the very same AI technologies can be exploited by cybercriminals in fraudulent attacks, allowing them to manipulate AI systems to evade detection or carry out sophisticated hacks against organizations. Consequently, to safeguard AI implementations within their systems from malicious threats, cybersecurity leaders are exercising caution and placing a strong emphasis on security protocols and continuous monitoring.