Shri. Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan
Honourable Home Minister, Kerala

This is a moment in history of Kerala Police when our interconnected world presents us, on one side a great promise and opportunity and on the other, great peril and fear of insecurity. Over the past years, Kerala Police has taken decisive steps to seize the promise and confront these perils. None of the 21st century challenges can be fully met, without our digital infrastructure -- the backbone that underpins a prosperous economy, a strong law enforcement and an open and efficient government.

It's the great irony of our Information Age, the very technologies that empower us to create and to build, also empower those who would disrupt and destroy. And this paradox, seen and unseen, is something that we experience every day. Every day we see waves of cyber thieves trolling for sensitive information -- the disgruntled employee on the inside, the lone hacker a thousand miles away, organized crime, the industrial spy etc. In short, our economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on cyber security. We understand that preserving functionality in cyber space is a mammoth challenge and there fore we have emphasised on a need for a Public Private Partnership.

To give these highly sensitive and important issue the high-level focus and attention they deserve, and as part of the implementation of Flagship Programme for Gender Awareness with particular reference to crime against women, I extend my whole hearted support to this annual event International Cyber Security and Policing Conference ‘c0c0n 2013’ hosted by Kerala Police. I hope this International Conference will garner knowledge and strength to help us understand and counter the various manifestation of cyber threat, that we currently face.

Shri. K.S.Balasubramanian IPS
State Police Chief, Kerala

Today our virtual world is going viral. Also we've only just begun to explore the next generation of technologies, that will transform our lives in ways we can't even begin to imagine. Some 1.5 billion people around the world are already online, and more are logging on every day. Groups and governments are sharpening their cyber capabilities. Protecting our prosperity and security in this globalized world is going to be a long, difficult struggle demanding patience and persistence over many years.

The various manifestations of the cyber threat that our country currently faces, takes many forms, comes from many sources, and knows no borders. Kerala Police underscores the need to increase secure communication and transparency with each other, so that we could avoid a misunderstanding or a miscalculation in cyberspace. For the past few years, Kerala Police has been working very closely with other agencies to understand, where are the lines of responsibility, when it comes to cyber security. Where do we draw those lines? And how do those responsibilities get executed?

Our citizens are increasingly worried about cybercrime. Statistics point to growing levels of concern about cyber security, the risk of becoming a victim of cybercrime has increased in the past year. In essence, the digital economy falls short of its potential. Recognising this fact that is a threat to our economic and social well being, we took on this initiative of conducing annual International Conference on Cyber Security and Policing titled ‘c0c0n 2013’.

This international conference has two overarching purposes. It provides a basis for greater cooperation between the different actors in the field of cyber security and – most importantly – shows the direction for future work.

Cyber security is clearly an issue on almost everyone's mind. It provokes a lot of debate and everybody agrees, that we have to do more. But as the premier law enforcement agency in the State of Kerala, it is our job to make sure that those commitments are translated into action. We understand that there are no quick fixes. Instead we need to continue focusing on delivering tangible results. Even if each one, only feels like a small step, they are steps in the right direction, and that is how we reinforce security and ensure safe and secure cyber space.

We are acting aggressively to get ahead of this problem, putting in place measures to stop cyber attacks dead in their tracks. We are doing this, as part of a broad Government efforts to confront cyber threats. I strongly believe that this will make our department more agile and empower us, with the ability to confront cyber threats quickly and effectively in a foolproof manner. Also we are working to develop a common, real-time understanding of the threats in cyberspace.

This is the 6^th year that our department is taking a major step forward by conducting International Cyber Security Conference. This remains our most important mission in cyberspace. This is not just a responsibility, it is a duty that we owe to our citizens.