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Dr. Shekhar Pawar

Dr. Shekhar Ashok Pawar is a leading expert in cybersecurity with over 20 years of experience. He is the founder and CEO of SecureClaw Inc., USA, and GrassDew IT Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai. He has a doctorate in cybersecurity from SSBM Geneva, Switzerland. He did executive management studies from SJMSOM, IIT Bombay, and a degree in electronics and telecommunications engineering from Mumbai University. His extensive qualifications include certifications such as Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI), ISO 27001 Lead Auditor, PCI DSS Implementer, Certified HIPAA Compliance Professional, Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) Certified Professional, Diploma in Cyber Laws, Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), Certified Blockchain Developer, and many others. Dr. Pawar has authored two notable books: “BDSLCCI: Business Domain Specific Least Cybersecurity Controls Implementation” and “Air Team Theory: Understanding 10 Types of Team Mates and Best Practices to Succeed.” Also, he is the author of many international research papers, chapters, blogs, and white papers. He has contributed to cybersecurity awareness via TV, radio, and newspapers as well. Dr. Pawar has led numerous high-impact cybersecurity projects, including serving as a virtual CISO for a major IT company in the USA, conducting application source code security reviews for a leading healthcare and Middle East government's oil and natural gas organization, and performing security assessments for multinational technology companies. His expertise covers telecommunications, banking, manufacturing, healthcare, and IT.

2024Current IssueCybersecurityVol2_2024

MSMEs are vulnerable to cyber threats — the most ignored concern in India

by Dr. Shekhar Pawar
by Dr. Shekhar Pawar

In India, 63 million Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) contribute employment of 164 million, 30% of GDP, and around 40-50% exports. However, according to global reports, 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses, and one in two small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has a chance of a cyber breach. Without cyber security protection, these businesses could hamper the country’s economy, as they contribute significantly to the economy.

According to the latest research conducted on MSMEs in India, where 82 top management of these organizations shared their valuable inputs, Figure 1 shows an overview of the cybersecurity posture of these companies. More than 51% of these companies responded they have some kind of cybersecurity control in place. Few of these MSMEs had adopted some kind of standard or framework, such as ISO 27001 (more than 21%) and NIST CSF (around 6%). Around 63% of these organizations do not have any cybersecurity standard or framework adopted. Among those who had responded with some kind of cybersecurity adoption in place, around 29% of those are not having any security policies, guidelines, and guidelines. Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) (around 17%), security guards (more than 11%), and fire suppression (around 11%) were mostly popular as physical controls among MSMEs. Also, antivirus software (around 30%), firewalls (more than 20%), and authentication solutions (around 14%) were the most popular technical controls for MSMEs.

Figure 1: Overview of MSME’s Cybersecurity Posture

Figure 2 shows the various gaps and problems faced by MSMEs in India. Human beings are always considered the weakest link causing successful cyberattacks. Hence, cybersecurity awareness training plays an important role in strengthening knowledge about the latest cyber threats within organizations.

More than 40% of MSMEs never conducted any cybersecurity awareness training for their employees, which is the biggest threat helping cybercriminals targeting these companies, as illustrated in the figure.  Around 39% of MSMEs are sure they have faced cyberattacks.

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