(PTI)
IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today exhorted state-owned firms to be “vigilant” while securing digital infrastructure even as he emphasised that cyber attacks should not be a deterrent to building information superhighways in India. His comments come against the backdrop of a global malware attack that has disrupted functioning at some central banks and many large corporations in Europe. In India, the attack has impacted the functioning of one of the terminals of India’s largest container port JNPT. Likening the information superhighway to a national highway, Prasad said that while accidents may occur on roads at times, it only means that users have to be more cautious.
“On the national highways there are accidents…you have to drive carefully, wear seat belts, not drink and drive…but how can you say that there should be no national highways because accidents occur. The same is with information highway…,” he said. Proactive measures have already been initiated following the latest attack and the government is keeping a close watch on the entire situation, he said, maintaining that there is no large-scale impact on India yet. The minister was speaking at the national convention on ‘Digitalisation: Opportunities and Challenges’.
