US consulate hosts cyber security meet for MSMEs

Ranchi: The US Consulate, Kolkata, arranged a daylong training for the city’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to avoid cyber fraud.
In a statement, the consulate said the training was held at a city hotel in collaboration with MSME-Development Institute (MSME-DI) Ranchi and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). As many as 35 MSME representatives attended the workshop.
“With growing digitalization globally, more and more businesses are gradually shifting to digital platform. There has been a concomitant rise in cybercrimes. Cyber attacks through malware, phishing, ransomware have become commonplace. According to a survey by Kaspersky, about 48% of MSMEs have had data breaches owing to lack of understanding of threats and the importance of cyber security,” the statement read.
Arnab Ganguly, a policy analyst at CUTS International, said, “The training focused on basic cyber security threats and what needed to be done to prevent them.”
“Many MSME units have shifted to online for business in the post Covid-19 era. Given that MSMEs contribute roughly 30% of India’s GDP, it is imperative to equip them with the knowledge and tools to become resilient to cyber security breaches and grow their businesses sustainably,” Ganguly added.
Union MSME director SK Sahoo said, “While the Covid-19 pandemic has created considerable challenges for MSMEs, it has also created an opportunity for the MSMEs to expand their business via online platforms. However, cyber security remains an area of serious concern for the MSMEs due to lack of understanding of cyber security risks, less prioritization for cyber safety, limited capital allocation to cyber security and other things.”