GUWAHATI, Nov 19: Experts at a national conference on ‘cybersecurity, digital forensics and intelligence’ called for a resilient AI-driven defence mechanism and investigation process besides greater awareness against cyber attacks.
The two-day conference is being organised by the National Institute of Electronics, Information and Technology (NIELIT) at Gauhati University from Wednesday.
Citing growing instances of cyber attacks in the country, most of which are from non-friendly countries, the speakers also felt IT and system constraints, disconnected threads, selective and complaints extractions and limited remote capabilities were holding back investigations which could be fast tracked with adoption of proper AI tools and skilling of the users.
“India lost Rs 22845 crore to cyber fraud in 2024, a 205.6 per cent surge from the previous year. Over 36 lakh financial fraud cases were reported during the year. Around 20.5 lakh cyber security incidents reported to national nodal agency CERT-In in 2024, up from 15.9 lakh in 2023, which is indicative of the growing scale of attacks,” Microsoft’s head of public sector Keshri Kumar Asthana said.
He said the average cost of a data breach in India in 2025 is Rs 22 crore, the highest on record, driven by gaps in governance and security. Around 83 per cent of organisations experience more than one data breach in their lifetime.
“The cost is high as the incidents are being caught late. The attackers are not thinking linearly but in graphs, and the defence too has to think on graphs to stop their graphical thinking,” he felt.
Global data privacy officer of Wipro, Sandesh Jadhav said people should be cautious while using social media and other digital platforms. “You are being watched continuously,’ he warned.
Shreekrishna Ashutosh of Cellebrite said 50 per cent of agencies have reported case backlogs year on year basis, while 60 per cent of investigators are still relying on outdated methods.
“Average time spent per case reviewing digital evidence is 69 hours,” he said.
Asserting that 90 per cent criminal cases include digital evidence and 98 per cent prosecutors say digital evidence is pivotal, Asthana said digital evidence is no longer optional but essential.
The inaugural ceremony of the two-day conference was attended by L. Lanuwabang, director, NIELIT, Assam and Nagaland, MeitY, Government of India; among other dignitaries.
Delivering the welcome address, Lanuwabang highlighted the expansion of NCCDFI from Kohima to Guwahati to ensure wider participation across the Northeast.
He emphasised the need for advanced cyber training, digital forensic laboratory infrastructure, coordinated cyber investigations, and multi-agency collaboration to safeguard the digital future of the region.
