As hackers from across the border in Pakistan mount a cyber attack against the country’s websites, Indian hackers seem to be falling considerably short in firepower.

“In the ongoing cyber warfare between the two countries, roughly 40-50 Indian sites are being hacked on a daily basis by Pakistani hackers while about 10 Pakistani sites are being hit by their Indian counterparts”, says Ankit Fadia, Mumbai-based ethical hacker and an expert on cyber crime.

Mr Fadia is clear that breaking into foreign country’s websites does not fall within the realm of ethical hacking, but mentions how Pakistanis outdo Indians in hacking to underline India’s reactive, rather than proactive, approach to hacking issues.

He says the attitude of the corporate sector towards cyber security is almost as laid back as that of the government agencies, with the result that ethical hacking is still at a low key across the spectrum. Ethical hackers, who also go by names such as white hackers, white knights or sneakers, are computer security experts who specialise in penetration testing and related testing methodologies to check the vulnerability of a company’s information systems.

Nasscom surveys have pointed out that information security threats have created an “unprecedented demand for qualified and experienced information security professionals”, but Mr Fadia reckons that the supply of ethical hackers in the country is far short of the demand of corporates and government agencies.

“Ethical hacking does come with a cost, but it is not prohibitively expensive, either. But often, corporates appreciate the need only after a security breach happens”, Mr Fadia told ET.

According to him, social networking sites have become hackers’ favourite hunting grounds these days, marking a clear break from the e-mail route to passing on a virus.

Ethical hacking communities are operating in the country but Mr Fadia says a strong and serious community operation of ethical hackers is virtually absent in the country.

“When they pass out of engineering college, classmates may form a community of ethical hackers, but these fritter away, starting as a hobby and ending as one”, he says.

Industry players opine that structured courses could be one way to generate the required number of ethical hackers. The first generation of sneakers were self-taught. Mr Fadia says it may just be the right time for colleges to have formal courses in ethical hacking.

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