India’s digital public infrastructure securely handles enormous transaction volumes, but true cyber superpower status will take continuous vigilance, user awareness and rapid recovery rather than a chase for “perfect” security, said Lt. Gen. Unnikrishnan Nair, former National Cybersecurity Coordinator at the Prime Minister’s Office.
New mandates such as the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, along with looming shifts like post-quantum cryptography and AI adoption, demand active involvement from every sector. And as AI platforms take on decision-making roles, human oversight is non-negotiable.
“There is nothing like peace in the cyber world. It’s one 24/7 activity,” Nair said. “If you get impacted by a cyber incident, I think you should have the wherewithal to get back to your original status in no time, and this is something the digital world needs to learn for the future.”
In this video interview with CISO Now, Nair also discussed:
- Safeguarding India’s UPI ecosystem amid geopolitical conflict and high transaction volumes;
- Preparing for DPDP Act enforcement and balancing data residency with global data flows;
- Mitigating quantum encryption risks and ensuring accountability in AI-driven decision-making.
Lt. Gen. Unnikrishnan Nair served as India’s National Cybersecurity Coordinator in the Prime Minister’s Office (NSCS), where he helped shape national cyber defense policy and digital infrastructure security. A veteran with extensive leadership experience across India’s strategic defense sectors, he continues to advise on national security, emerging technologies and data governance.
