July 2022

Fraser is a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand, and also admitted before the Supreme Court of New South Wales. He focuses on corporate and commercial, technology, media and telecommunications, banking and finance, capital markets, competition and antitrust, dispute resolution, employment, insurance, intellectual property, international trade, investigations, mergers and acquisitions, project finance, projects and energy, real estate, restructuring and insolvency and tax matters.

Know More

For many years, traditional network security tools such as firewalls, anti-virus software, web proxies etc. have been the go-to defences for organisations. While these tools were effective to a certain extent in the past, the dramatic changes brought to the digital world by “Industry 4.0,” over the last decade, has seen a dynamic shift to the cyber-threat landscape thereby reducing the effectiveness of these traditional tools.

Know More

India is the fastest-growing trillion-dollar economy in the world and the fifth-largest overall, with a GDP of $2.94 trillion. Catapulted by the rising availability of high-speed connectivity, India already has one of the world’s largest (and still growing) base of digital consumers. The IT sector, while contributing to around 8% of the country’s GDP and providing employment to 4.36 million people, has leapfrogged multiple stages of development faster than many western economies.

As the country continues to embrace the contours of “Industry 4.0” such as 3D printing, augmented wearables and cognitive computing, there is an immediate need to strengthen the regulatory framework in a manner that fosters innovation while protecting the public interest.

Know More

In a recent interaction with CXOToday, Advocate G V Anand Bhushan discusses the need for India to urgently have a strong and effective data protection policy, and explains how law firms can cope with cybersecurity challenges during the pandemic and beyond.

Know More

“India should fast-track enactment of the Data Protection Act and set up a strong and effective Data Protection Authority. This regulatory framework will provide for appropriate consents to collect and process data and prescribe penalties for non-compliance. Since the draft Bill already provides for high fines (Rs 5 crore or 2 per cent of worldwide turnover), it is expected to usher in a strong compliance culture,” says G.V. Anand Bhushan, Partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.

Know More

An expert in technology law, GV Anand Bhushan, Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, says, “Typically when a pharma company bears the brunt of a cyber-attack, it can have a devastating impact on the company ranging from stolen IP, repeating clinical trials, contaminated drugs, physical damage and downtime, litigation, and lost revenue.”
He adds, “Data stolen from pharma companies is extremely valuable as hackers can sell personal patient information on the dark web that includes address history, financial information, and social security numbers which can later be used to commit identity thefts. In fact, a study conducted by the Ponemon Institute in 2018 revealed that each stolen record in the pharma sector was valued at $195 per record!”

Know More

One of the most common challenges faced by IT professionals is often left unanswered under the present laws such as the Indian IT ACT, and companies are forced to rely on internal or cross-border best practices to prepare themselves to pre-empt cyber threats. The advent of new technologies such as 5G, AI, and cloud computing have intensified this inadequacy.

Know More

GV Anand Bhushan, Partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, says that the tensed situation with China and Pakistan last year had seen a sudden spike in the number of cyber-attacks. Going by the trend in the past, he sees a high possibility of attacks on the players involved in the VDD infrastructure manifested in the form of a ransomware attack, malware attack, phishing attack, an attempt to steal confidential information etc. He wants the government to ensure that an over-arching cybersecurity framework is implemented to prevent the occurrence of such attacks.
“It is absolutely critical for the government to ensure, with the assistance of CERT-In, that it has a full proof Crisis Incident Response Plan in place that clearly lists down the strategy to be adopted in case of a cyber-security incident,” he says.

Know More

“The combination of a sudden pandemic, quarantine and unconventional work from home situations has exacerbated this security threat,” said GV Anand Bhushan, partner at law firm Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.
“India was ranked 23rd in the UN Cyber Security Index amongst 165 nations. We need to view India as a ‘maturing’ and ‘evolving’ category of countries which are continually trying to improve cyber security measures,” he added.
Bhushan described CERT-Fin as a grand vision. Unfortunately, till date there has been no budgetary allocation for setting up such a body, he said, adding that it was however clear that CERT-In alone would not be able to meet the emerging challenges in the space.

Know More