Weak cyber defence a threat to national security: Rizvi

BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Sunday warned that Bangladesh's cybersecurity vulnerabilities could put the country's national security and defence system at risk.

"If another country hacks and takes away a nation's vital data, there is nothing left of its sovereignty," he said at a programme organised by the ICT Forum at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB).

Alleging that India was hacking the National Identity (NID) data of Bangladeshi citizens, Rizvi said, "People's sensitive information is reaching their hands. This cannot be allowed in any way."

He urged those skilled in information and communication technology (ICT) to work together to build a policy to safeguard the country's security.

"You tell us what needs to be done and what will keep the country's data secure. We will take your proposals to the highest level of policymaking, starting from the Prime Minister," the BNP leader said.

He also called on the country's engineering universities to produce more skilled manpower in cybersecurity.

Referring to concerns over messaging platforms, Rizvi said, "We used to think WhatsApp was the safest app. But now we see call records are being leaked from it. How is this possible? Leaking people's private conversations goes against human rights."

Citing Mary Shelley's famed novel "Frankenstein", he said technological advancement must go hand in hand with ethical values; otherwise, technology would turn into a monster.