Fearing damage to image, only few firms report crime

Companies are not reporting ransomware or cybercrime attacks to the police, fearing damage to their reputation. Instead, these companies are roping in private cybercrime investigators to trace the gangs, and calling security experts to plug the loopholes.

“Cyber security incidents have the ability to damage the reputation of a corporate. In such situations, corporates stay away from police as there is likelihood of the word spreading in the public domain causing irreparable loss,” said Rakhit Tandon, consultant in the Internet and Mobile Association of India.

Investigations are handed over to private security agencies who sign nondisclosure agreements. There is little scope for the information leaking into public domain.

A chief security officer at a company said that the police should be proficient with technology but that it is not the case in the state.

“Small cases are handled well. When it comes to hi-tech criminal activities, the investigation is still premature. Therefore, many companies prefer to hire private investigators for two reasons. One is to avoid damage to the reputation and the second for a thorough investigation and to prevent further attacks,” he said.

Dr Zaki Qureshi, founder chairperson of E2 Labs, said the police was unable to deal with hi-tech crime.

He said a platform had been created involving corporate, police and government agencies to enable them to share their expertise to deal with such attacks.

A Telangana state official said that to share technology to counter malware threats and to train personnel and for skill improvement, the government had adopted The Hague Security Delta module.