Govt's move on username-related impersonation risks can help curb cyber fraud: 63SATS Cybertech CEO
New Delhi, July 3
The government's reported notice to Meta over username-related risks is aimed at preventing cyber fraud and impersonation by threat actors, according to Neehar Pathare, Managing Director, CEO and CIO of 63SATS Cybertech, who said the current username system could be exploited to deceive users.
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the Cyber 360 Degrees Summit, Pathare said anyone can currently claim a username on a first-come, first-served basis, creating the risk of impersonation.
"So username is something that you decide. It's the fastest finger first. So anyone who blocks a high-profile person's name could have that username first," he said.
Explaining the concern behind the government's move, he said, "This should not be the case, and that's where the government says that this could be a threat for threat actors to actually take someone else's username and start demanding money or get into a cyber fraud."
Referring to the reported notice, Pathare said, "We'll wait and watch. It's under three days is the time to reply. We are eagerly waiting for that."
He said the discussion at the summit also focused on protecting India's critical infrastructure from rapidly evolving cyber threats, particularly as artificial intelligence makes attacks more sophisticated.
"If you see, critical infrastructure works on OT, and OT is a very legacy old equipment. Some of the equipments are 20 years old. People do not want to change it, but the cyber attacks which are happening on them are at lightning speed because of AI," he said.
Pathare said cybersecurity should no longer be viewed only as the responsibility of IT teams.
"The boards and CEOs should know cyber security is not an IT task, it's a balance sheet task. If any attack happens on a company, it directly affects the balance sheet," he said.
He added that cyber threats are increasingly shifting towards smartphones.
"More than your desktop or laptop, which is usually used in corporates, is already protected. Your next threat vector is your handset, your mobile handset," he said, adding that mobile security solutions are becoming increasingly important as phishing and QR code-based scams continue to rise.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Finally some action on usernames! I've seen so many fake accounts of politicians and celebrities on Instagram asking for money. First-come-first-serve username system was always a disaster waiting to happen. Lets hope Meta takes this seriously and implements verification requirements for high-profile names.
This is a smart move by the Indian government. As an IT professional, I can tell you that credential theft and social engineering attacks are on the rise - and username spoofing makes it way too easy. Hope this leads to some global standards for social media platforms.
Username protection is important, but the bigger threat is our mobile devices becoming attack vectors. He is right about QR code scams in India - roadside QR code scan-to-pay at local shops can be risky. Also, what about OTP scams? There should be more awareness about cyber hygiene at the grassroots level.
The CEO makes a good point about cybersecurity being a 'balance sheet task'. In India, SMEs still treat IT as an expense rather than an investment. After the recent attacks on our power grids and banking systems, boards better wake up. Also, staff training is crucial - our employees are the weakest link in many cases. 💻🔒
The username thing is just the tip of the iceberg. What about the OT (operational technology) systems they mentioned? Our critical infrastructure runs on old equipment that should have been upgraded years ago. Government needs to mandate cybersecurity standards for power plants, water systems, etc. These 20-year-old OT systems are a sitting duck for AI-powered attacks. Good that they're finally discussing this at these summits.
Interesting that the Indian government is taking this up. In the US, we've had similar issues with Twitter verification and blue check marks being exploited
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