NEW DELHI: According to a report by Norton (Symantec), 42 million cyber crimes happen in India every year. The report states that about 52% of victims have suffered attacks such as malware, viruses, hacking, scams, fraud and theft. Over 80 people are victimized under various cyber crimes every minute across India.

Norton also said that 7% of the estimated global price tag of cyber crimes every year comes from India. The estimated price tag in India is USD 8 billion as against the global bill of USD 110 billion. Security firm Kaspersky ranks India ninth on its list of countries with the highest percentage of computer attacks.

India has also been a victim of cyber intrusions by neighbouring states. As a recent media report by a leading channel reveals, China has repeatedly mounted cyber attacks on Indian websites through its cyber warfare army. India recently released its National Cyber Security Policy 2013 (NCSP 2013). However, according to EC-Council, a professional certification body, India is unlikely to meet the target of creating a workforce of 5, 00,000 cyber security professionals in next five years (as laid out by the NCSP 2013) due to lack of infrastructure and investment.

In this context, a press conference announcing the official launch of The Ground Zero Summit, a premiere security conclave positioned to be one of Asia's largest information security conferences, was held today at The Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi.

The press conference introduced Ground Zero Summit 2013 which is to be held in November (7 to 10), 2013 and showcased it as a platform for promoting information security and awareness in the region. The summit will take place over four days with a two day technical conference, followed by two days of hands-on technical workshops on information security. The summit is supported by relevant government associations, bodies and industries working in this space.

Expert consultants from the industry present at the conference were Mr. Dhruv Soi, Chairperson, OWASP India; Mr. Thomas Kurian Ambattu, VP, Information Security Research Association (ISRA); Mr. Aseem Jakhar, Director, Research, Payatu Technologies Pvt. Ltd.; Mr. Rajshekhar Murthy, Director, CERT-ISAC, National Security Database; Mr. Rohit Srivastwa, Founder, ClubHack; and Mr. Tarun Wig, Founder, Innefu.

This unprecedented collaboration, bringing together government associations and private bodies promises to play a key role in fortifying Indian assets in cyberspace and strengthening national cyber resilience.

Appreciating the initiative, Capt P Raghu Raman, CEO, NATGRID said, "Such conferences provide great opportunity for the different stakeholders in the field of information security i.e. Business leaders, IT and InfoSec professionals, policy and perspective planners and the citizens - the opportunity to understand each other's point of view and pool their intellect & resources to formulate a comprehensive security posture. This is essential, because if these stakeholders don't combine together, then the attackers will take them apart piecemeal."

Industry Expert, Mr. Aseem Jhakar, Founder, nullcon Security Conference said, "2013 has been the year of major revelations from the cyber security perspective. There have been many disclosures on cyber attacks, APTs and surveillance programs. The PRISM program shook the whole world. Then there was the hangover report which suggested private Indian players were involved in cyber espionage activities. We had the malware bounty program initiated by the Govt. at nullcon security conference earlier this year where participants were tasked with reverse engineering of a malware and then suggest ways to stealthily subvert the security of the Command and Control server."

"The fact is that there has been an enormous activity in the cyber security arena in India but it is somehow limited to the players in this field. Our vision at the InfoSec Consortium is to guide the development of next generation cyber security policies and technology, to bring about changes in the current process, involve all affected industries and form the largest PPP in this domain. We see the Ground Zero Summit as the first initiative towards that vision. In my understanding I see it as the largest collaborative platform in Asia or the world where different conferences within the country have joined hands to create a massive platform for cyber security research, technology showcase and policy creation and amendments," adds Jhakar.

The Information Security Consortium, the independent apex body organizing the Ground Zero Summit 2013, also released a research report in collaboration with CERT-ISAC and NTRO at the press conference, which outlines the dangers Indian IT infrastructure is facing, with research proving that the Indian government and critical infrastructure are targets of sophisticated attacks. The report talks about an overview of malware distribution in Indian Cyberspace; in-depth and detailed technical analysis of Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actors against India and finally recommendations to improve and protect the overall Critical Information Infrastructure.

Commenting on the alliance, Mr. Rajshekhar Murthy, Director, CERT-ISAC, National Security Database said, "Information Security is a growing concern we are pleased at the exceptional show of association between the Ground Zero Summit and the National Security Database. We are excited about taking this unique collaboration forward with an aim to create a premiere platform for information security in the region. Further, we expect the Ground Zero initiative to strengthen ties and establish new relationships among the stakeholders for information security in the country - both industry and government. We are proud to take this opportunity to release this report compiled by the InfoSec Consortium, which is organizing The Ground Zero Summit. This report has been released in collaboration with CERT-ISAC and NTRO, and outlines the dangers Indian IT infrastructure is facing and references research which proves that our Government and Critical Infrastructure are targets of sophisticated attacks."

The summit is a result of an industry government alliance in this domain, and a collaborative effort between the five major cyber security conferences in the region viz. nullcon, Malcon, c0c0n, OWASP and ClubHack. The summit will be executed by UBM India Pvt Ltd., a leading player in the live media space and the largest trade exhibition organizer in India responsible for over 20 large scale exhibitions.

Mr. Joji George, Managing Director, UBM India said, "We are proud to be partners to Asia's largest cyber security conclave, The Ground Zero Summit, which represents a unique collaboration between industry and government in the security domain on a scale that is unprecedented. It promises to be the most influential platform for promoting cyber resilience and awareness in the region, and is certain that Ground Zero Summit will establish itself as a benchmark forum in information security, which is the need of the industry. UBM has always taken pride on nurturing communities and in the same spirit, we are honored to be partners with this landmark initiative."

About Ground Zero Summit 2013

The Ground Zero Summit (G0S) 2013 is an outcome of an alliance between the industry and Government of India and is promoted by the Information Security Consortium. Various supportive government bodies in this initiative include the Ministry of Home Affairs, NATGRID etc among others and the summit itself is a collaborative effort between India's five leading information security conferences viz. nullcon, Malcon, c0c0n, OWASP and ClubHack.

About Information Security Consortium

The Information Security Consortium is an independent apex body and is an outcome of an alliance between industry and Government of India and is a not-for-profit body. The InfoSec consortium is made up of India's leading cyber security communities viz nullcon, c0c0n, Malcon, ClubHack, OWASP and is supported by CERT-ISAC, India's first independent CERT for mobile & electronic security. The body is supported by National Security Database (NSD), a government supported empanelment program for information security experts for national critical infrastructure protection.

About UBM India

UBM India is a part of UBM Plc, a leading global business media company. We inform markets and bring the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online, and in print, providing them with the information they need to do business successfully. We focus on serving professional commercial communities - from doctors to game developers, journalists, jewellery traders, farmers, and pharmacists - around the world. UBM worldwide organizes 300 events, publishes 200 magazines and periodicals, and hosts 200 websites.

UBM India with its technology and publishing division - UBM Technology Media, started in May 2007 - brought the power of trusted IT media brands to technology and business decision makers through online properties, IT gatherings and industry-leading magazines via renowned IT brands such as CRN, InformationWeek, TechOnline India, and Light Reading India. Events such as Cloud Connect India, ESC India, INTEROP, 4G World India, TFM&A, FTS, ICSC, and other customized IT-related events are innovative marketing solutions to help create long-term, profitable relationships with technology builders, sellers, and buyers.

Primary Media Contact: Pavan Karimbil, pavan@mutualpr.com, 91-9930375219

Secondary Media Contact: Neil Mascarenhas, neil@mutualpr.com, 91-9930375207