Staff Reporter
Guwahati: In light of the growing instances of cyberattacks in the country, most of which are attributed to hostile countries, cybersecurity experts today called for a resilient AI-driven defence mechanism and investigation process, besides greater awareness for netizens. It emerged that people in India lost Rs 22,845 crore to cyber fraud in 2024, marking a 205.6% surge from the previous year.
This was revealed by experts in the field, who converged at the 2nd edition of the National Conference on Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics and Intelligence organized by the National Institute of Electronics, Information & Technology (NIELIT) at Gauhati University. The experts felt that IT and system constraints, too many disconnected threads, selective and compliant extractions, limited remote capabilities, etc., were holding back investigations which can be fast-tracked with the adoption of proper AI tools and skilling of the users.
“India lost Rs 22,845 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, showing the growing scale of attacks,” said Microsoft’s Head of Public Sector Keshri Kumar Asthana.
Asthana 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 organizations 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 in 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 informed the gathering that 50 per cent of agencies have reported case backlogs on a year-on-year basis, while 60 per cent of investigators are still relying on outdated methods.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 of criminal cases include digital evidence and 98 per cent prosecutors say digital evidence is pivotal, Ashutosh said digital evidence is no longer optional but essential.
The two-day event is being organised by NIELIT Assam & Nagaland under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, in association with Assam Police and Gauhati University, and supported by the Department of IT, Government of Assam, and The United Service Institution of India. The conference is being held with the theme “Cyber Secure Bharat: Fortifying India’s Digital Future.”
The inaugural ceremony was attended by L. Lanuwabang, Director, NIELIT Assam & Nagaland, MeitY; K.S. Gopinath Narayan, Principal Secretary, IT, Government of Assam; Prof. Nani Gopal Mahanta, Vice Chancellor, Gauhati University; Surendra Kumar, Additional Director General of Police, Assam; Keshri Kumar Asthana, CTO &; Head – Public Sector, Microsoft; and Sandesh Jadhav, Global Data Privacy Officer, Wipro.
Delivering the welcome address, L. Lanuwabang, Director of NIELIT Assam & Nagaland and Conference Chair, 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.
He remarked, “Cyber Secure Bharat is not merely a theme; it is a national mission. A secure India is the foundation of a strong digital future. This conference brings together global organisations, academia, law enforcement, defence, government administration and industry to address cybercrime, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and emerging threats, and to build greater cybersecurity awareness among citizens.”
This year’s conference features 30+ distinguished speakers from industry, defence, law enforcement, academia, and global technology organisations. Over 300 delegates from government departments, police organisations, the judiciary, academic institutions, industry, and organisations reflecting the region’s growing focus on cybersecurity and digital resilience.
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