Former national security adviser MK Narayanan says use of Aadhar cards is becoming ubiquitous. (File)

With Aadhar cards becoming ubiquitous, the country needs to marshal its defensive and offensive capabilities, former national security adviser MK Narayanan said today.

At a seminar on cyber security organized by BCCI and CENERS-K in Kolkata, he said India is listed among top five nations affected by cyber attacks.

"The country is on the threshold of a digital age. And the use of Aadhar cards is becoming more ubiquitous every day. It is also getting increasingly easier to mask an identity online. Once a code used in a malware comes into the open market, it could be bought and re-purposed by hackers and nations across the world," the former West Bengal governor said.

Mr Narayanan also said growing inter-connectivity has effectively demolished the traditional perimeters.

Cyber attackers, he noted, have made inroads into the entire spectrum of critical infrastructure like banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), energy, shipping, power and other utilities.

"Businesses in India are among the largest victims of targeted attacks, and with the Internet of Things (IoT) coming into play, the problems would multiply," he said.