NIT Srinagar hosts daylong ICSSR sponsored conference on Cybersecurity preparedness among Indian firms

Srinagar, Feb 13:  The Department of Humanities, Social Sciences & Management (HSS&M) on Wednesday organised day long Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)conference on Cyber Security Preparedness Among Indian Firms: Opportunities, Challenges, & The Road Ahead at National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar.

This conference was part of a larger research project led by Dr. Tahir Ahmed Wani, Principal Investigator and brought together distinguished academicians, industry professionals, and researchers to discuss the evolving landscape of cybersecurity in India.

Dr Sameer Patil, Director Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and Registrar NIT Srinagar Prof. Atikur Rahman delivered special address on the occasion. Both speakers emphasized the critical role of cybersecurity in business resilience and national security.

Dr Lalit Mohan, Chief Product Officer Quick Heal, who delivered key note address and shared insights about evolving cyber threats and defence mechanisms.

He claimed that approximately 369 million detections were recorded, with 8.44 million occurring by the end of the year—averaging around 702 detections per minute.

Dr Lalit said that in India, Telangana reported the highest number of detections, accounting for 55%. In 2024, India is estimated to have lost ₹14,000 crore due to financial scams and cyber crises, he added.

It was followed by another keynote address by Dr Vaishnavi from Centre of Excellence in Cyber Systems and Information Assurance IIT Delhi. She delivered an address on the latest advancements in cybersecurity research and policy frameworks.

“To ensure security and efficiency in this vast digital ecosystem, verification should be seamlessly integrated into discussions between engineering, research, academia, and policy. Policies, such as the Digital India Act, should be designed with a clear understanding of feasibility and limitations, he said.

Dr Vaishnavi said that engineering systems should be built with correctness as a core principle. It is also crucial to instill in budding engineers the importance of designing systems with correctness in mind from the outset, she added.

Earlier the conference commenced with inaugural session, that began with an introductory speech by Dr. Fouzia Jan.

Head Department of HSS&M, Dr. Jaya Shrivastava delivered the welcome address. She warmly greeted the attendees, including esteemed dignitaries, researchers, faculty members, and students.

In her speech, she highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary dialogue and the role of such conferences in advancing research, innovation, and policy development.

Dr. Sameer Patil, Director of the Centre for Security, Strategy, and Technology at ORF, was felicitated with a shawl by Dr. Rafiq Ahmad on the occasion.

A formal vote of thanks was presented by Dr. Falaq Mubashir, who is also co-principal investigator of the project. She expressed gratitude to ICSSR for sponsoring the conference, Director NIT Srinagar, Prof. Binod Kumar Kanaujia, Institute’s Registrar, Prof. Atikur Rehman, for their support to the event.

Dr. Falak also expressed gratitude to the resource persons, participants, and organizers for their valuable contributions.