ICMR data leak spurs call for public-private data protection partnership

livemint.com:

Aadhaar, and passport information are for sale online. The company said that its HUNTER (HUMINT) unit investigators who established contact with the threat actor, learned that they were willing to sell the entire Aadhaar and Indian passport database for $80,000.

Hence, it is crucial for the private sector to take steps to improve cybersecurity. Public-private partnerships are one way to further enhance cybersecurity.

These collaborations can facilitate the exchange of information, skills, and resources between the public and private sectors. Bhaskar Ganguli, Director of Marketing and Sales, Mass Software Solutions Pvt Ltc said, “We can build a comprehensive policy to protect our data by collaboration between government agencies, corporations, and cybersecurity specialists." He suggested initiatives like developing a national information-sharing platform and encouraging public-private collaborations to safeguard the digital environment.

“By fostering cooperation between government agencies, private enterprises, and cybersecurity experts, India can pool resources, intelligence, and expertise to proactively identify vulnerabilities and respond rapidly to breaches," Tushar Dhawan, Partner, Plus91labs told LiveMint. Data breaches can also result in significant financial losses, damage to an individual's, an institution's, or a country's reputation, and have legal repercussions, said Arpit Sharma, Senior Manager of Technology Research and Advisory, Aranca.

Sharma called for a need to create a Central IT Command under MEITy which encompasses an IT Intelligence wing to anticipate and report potential attacks, an IT defense wing to prevent breaches, and an IT Disaster wing to address the consequences of IT breaches. “Key