India has very few cyber security professionals, despite it being an increasingly attractive target for cyber criminals

NEW DELHI, Sept. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- SANS Institute, a cooperative research and education organization, and the largest source for world-class information security training and security certification, has stressed the importance of repeatable and sustainable training programs that focus on combatting real-world attacks if India is to successfully secure its critical and most sensitive systems.

With the third largest population of Internet users in the world, India's economic growth and success has made it an increasingly popular target for organized crime and nation state cyber threats. A recent report by Kaspersky Lab indicated that the number of Indian users targeted by phishing attacks more than doubled last year to 3.7 million people. Further, a recent Norton Internet Security Threat Report stated that India saw a 280 percent increase in bot infections in 2012, with more phishing and virus-bearing emails targeting small Indian businesses.

Given the rapid and increasing adoption of mobile technologies in India, these findings present a significant challenge for an emerging IT powerhouse.

Responding to these increasing threats, India's Joint Working Group on Cyber Security recently announced a number of recommendations to address this issue, including the introduction of a cyber security capacity building framework, the establishment of training facilities, and the creation of a multi-disciplinary center of excellence.

"This is a positive development, as one of the key challenges we all face in relation to cyber security is recruiting, training and retaining technical talent to ensure the protection of our sensitive and valuable information," Mr. Eric Bassel, Senior Director and Deputy CEO of the SANS Institute, said.

"India is an increasingly attractive target, however, it has very few cyber security professionals," Mr. Bassel said. "The number of cyber attacks has increased considerably over the last few years, and the economic impact that these attacks represent poses a significant threat to India's national security given the magnitude and importance of its IT industry."

SANS is working closely with a number of international organizations – including the US military, FBI and NSA among others – to help deliver successful and robust cyber training programs for their elite teams of cyber security professionals.

Chief Warrant Officer Michael V. Gaskin with the US Army recently stated in an interview with SIGNAL Magazine, that these training programs have allowed the Army "to stay on top of what's being trained and to be consistent and on the same curve as commercial industry." He also stated that by outsourcing these programs, the Army has been able to reallocate valuable resources and manpower that were previously required to develop and maintain their internal training programs. Chief Warrant Officer Gaskin added that "the efficiencies mean we don't have to worry about being behind the power curve."

"Cyber represents an ever-evolving threat landscape, and it is vital that security professionals are provided with hands-on training to prepare them for real world attacks and how to react when a breach occurs," Mr. Bassel said. "The only way to ensure the success of these training programs is for Government, Industry and Academia to work together to share knowledge and capability – we all have a role to play in tackling this complex challenge."

SANS will be providing essential cyber security training in India and Asia Pacific at upcoming training events. For a complete list of training events with courses, and to register, please visit:
http://www.sans.org/info/138112

About the SANS Institute
The SANS Institute was established in 1989 as a cooperative research and education organization. SANS is the most trusted, and by far the largest source for world-class information security training and security certification in the world offering over 50 training courses. GIAC, an affiliate of the SANS Institute, is a certification body featuring over 20 hands-on, technical certifications in information security. SANS offers a myriad of free resources to the InfoSec community including consensus projects, research reports, and newsletters; and it operates the Internet's early warning system - the Internet Storm Center. At the heart of SANS are the many security practitioners in varied global organizations from corporations to universities working together to help the entire information security community. (www.SANS.org)