New Delhi, March 9 (IANS). NASSCOM, one of the major IT industry bodies, on Monday issued an advisory to member companies asking them to increase vigilance in cyber security framework and strengthen operations in view of the evolving geopolitical situation in the Middle East.
NASSCOM said that although business activities remain stable at present, companies are reviewing contingency plans and strengthening resilience measures to minimize potential disruptions in case the situation worsens.
According to NASSCOM, many companies have started activating or reviewing business continuity plans for their operations involving the affected countries to ensure uninterrupted service delivery in the event of regional disruptions.
Organizations are also prioritizing employee safety, making work-from-home arrangements for employees located in affected areas and closely monitoring developments on the ground.
Additionally, companies are evaluating alternative infrastructure options in the region to ensure the robustness of cloud platforms and data centers and to protect critical systems.
As per NASSCOM advisory, companies have been advised to limit non-essential travel through the region, as it is a major international transit hub, and have been asked to consider alternative travel routes where necessary.
The companies are also in constant touch with customers and updating them about the measures being taken to ensure continuity of services.
The advisory further warns that times of geopolitical uncertainty often see an increase in coordinated cyber threats, disinformation campaigns and incidents targeting infrastructure, requiring companies to strengthen their cyber security.
Recommended key cybersecurity measures include organization-wide credential resets and prompt patching of critical vulnerabilities, as well as implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) on external access points such as VPNs, remote desktop systems, and cloud administration platforms.
NASSCOM also advised companies to conduct supply chain security audits, especially for vendors doing business in the Middle East, noting that a breach in the security of any third-party supplier could lead to disruption in the wider region.
Other recommended measures include preparing for potential distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, maintaining offline and irreversible backups of critical systems, and running employee awareness programs to counter social engineering and disinformation campaigns related to the current stress.
NASSCOM also said that it is continuously monitoring the developments in the region and is in touch with the Middle East Council to assess the situation and provide assistance as required.
–IANS
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