The growing threat of cyberattacks against individuals, organisations and governments has created an urgent need to bridge the shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals, said Director General of Police Manoj Abraham. Speaking at the second edition of the Kerala Cyber Suraksha Summit (KCSS), organised by F9 Infotech in collaboration with the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), Abraham said cyberattacks could cripple nations and organisations, disable critical infrastructure and disrupt military operations without a single shot being fired. “There is a 389 per cent rise in ransomware victims worldwide year-on-year, while reported financial losses due to cyber fraud in India alone stood at ₹19,813 crore in 2025. We are at a juncture where we need more defenders to take on cyber attackers. Worldwide, there are 4.8 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs,” he said. He said Kerala had a distinct advantage in addressing the global shortage, given its established talent base and pool of technology professionals. Hibi Eden, MP, lauded F9 Infotech’s initiative to provide cybersecurity training, awareness programmes and certification free of cost to government educational institutions across the State. F9 Infotech Founder Jayakumar Mohanachandran said cybersecurity should not remain confined to boardrooms or technology conferences, but should ultimately serve to protect every business, institution and individual. “Over the last three years, more than ₹56,000 crore has been reported in cyber fraud complaints across India. At the same time, India’s cyber-fraud response systems have helped save more than ₹11,000 crore across 32 lakh complaints. The question is no longer how we stop the next cyberattack, but how we build a digital future that people can trust,” he said. Air Commodore Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, KSIDC chairman C Balagopal, Digital University Kerala Vice-Chancellor Saji Gopinath, Data Security Council of India CEO Vinayak Godse, and F9 Infotech senior leaders Rajesh Radhakrishnan and Rajesh Vikraman attended the summit.