India is among the countries that are at the centre of cyber attacks, according to a recent statement issued by Symantec. It said that the number of unique malware variants have increased to 403 million, while the number of web attacks thwarted per day have increased by 36 per cent.

Such trends have led to a growing need for digital warriors and security engineers in the country, the statement said.

Further, the playfield for attackers has expanded to emerging cities in India, with 25 per cent of bot-infections found in these locations. The presence of industrial clusters and the prevalence of small and medium businesses, which may not be aware of the need for security, are key targets.

The growth in the volume and sophistication of attacks has lead to an increasing demand for security engineers. Shantanu Ghosh, Managing Director, India product operations, Symantec, said, “With examples like ‘Stuxnet’, a computer worm that was designed to sabotage real-world systems, and the more recent ‘Shamoon’ targeting the energy sector, the security engineer’s job is no less than that of a warrior; defending organisations, nation-states and individuals from digital attacks.”