Union Home Minister Amit Shah has introduced a nationwide online ‘suspect registry’ featuring data on 1.4 million individuals linked to financial fraud and cybercrimes.

Developed by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), this registry is accessible to states, Union Territories, and central investigation agencies. In partnership with banks and financial intermediaries, the initiative aims to strengthen the nation’s fraud risk management systems and bolster cybersecurity across the financial sector.

A report by IANS Research and Artico Search reveals that security budgets in 2024 grew by 8%, slightly up from 6% in 2023 but significantly lower than previous years.

Security now represents 13.2% of overall IT spending, a notable increase from 8.6% in 2020. While budgets have grown, hiring has slowed, with security staff growth dropping to 12%, compared to 31% in 2022.

BT is identifying 2,000 signals every second that may indicate cyber-attacks, highlighting the escalating "AI arms race" between hackers and businesses. The telecom giant, which operates EE and Openreach, noted a 1,200% increase in malicious bots attempting to access systems, as hackers increasingly use AI to evade detection.

CERT-In, under India's Ministry of Electronics and IT, has issued a high-severity alert for Android users operating versions 12 to 14. Vulnerabilities within key Android components, including the Google Play system, could lead to unauthorized access, device control, and denial-of-service attacks.

Millions of Android users in India and globally are urged to patch their systems immediately.

Several major French retailers, including Boulanger and Cultura, have confirmed a cyberattack that resulted in the theft of customer data. Boulanger disclosed that hackers accessed delivery addresses but clarified that no financial information was compromised. The company has since heightened security measures and notified all affected customers.