Spreading awareness among the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Noida based NGO Root64 Infosec research foundation in association with the Uttar Pradesh government and Microfinance Association of Uttar Pradesh (UPMA) conducted an awareness webinar.
The webinar, which was held on Wednesday was attended by the key stakeholders in MSME in Uttar Pradesh. Giving the keynote speech, senior IAS officer Navneet Sehgal, who is Additional Chief Secretary, Information, MSME, Export Promotion, and Khadi and Village Industry in the state said, “Companies and industries need to understand the new threat and such awareness conference is only going to protect them from becoming a victim of digital and financial frauds.”
Sehgal also added that in this age of Information Technology, we cannot avoid using social media and online platform but it is important to understand its proper usage in order to avoid falling in the trap of cyber criminals.
“In Uttar Pradesh, there are many small manufacturing units and they are being motivated to do banking transactions online. When they do these transactions, there is always an issue of cyber security. Of late, there has also been lot of misuse of information by many institutions on social media platforms and it is a serious issue. Thus, we need to make the MSMEs and concerned people aware of this cyber crime threat so that they remain cautious while using this medium,” he said.
It is pertinent to note that the outbreak of COVID-19 has had a massive impact on the economy and businesses across the globe. It is a double whammy for small enterprises, startups and MSMEs as they are most vulnerable to the rising threat of cyber frauds and data breaches during this financial crisis
Small business and startups need to cover-up and remain extra vigilant with a robust strategy to mitigate risks. Highlight such threats and way forward to secure, Chief Mentor of Root64 Infosec research foundation Amit Dubey explained the real-life cybercrime incidents and step by step process to protect against such threats.
The webinar was also joined by cybercrime investigation expert and the superintendent of police, cyber crime, UP, Prof Triveni Singh. He shared the investigation of some latest financial fraud incidents and also asked the participants to stay extra alert while transacting online. To give legal understanding, a senior Supreme Court advocate Dr Karnika Seth joined the participants virtually from New Delhi.
The topics that were covered during the event included Data Protection & Cyber Crime against MSMEs, Advance Cyber Attack and Protection Techniques, Financial Threats and Risk due to WFH Legal and Consequences and Impact of PDP Bill on MSMEs.
Sudhir Sinha, CEO, Micro Finance Association of Uttar Pradesh (UPMA) said such events are very enlightening and informative. This knowledge-sharing not only keeps companies updated but helps them in keeping their business and money safe. Participants got to know about new tricks of scammers and how they can defend against them.
Sinha added that cyber crime is not limited to financial fraud alone. “Misuse of personal information are often used by criminals to harass women. It is very necessary to make women aware of cyber threats,” he said.