India is not an exception to the growing threat of cyberattacks as the globe becomes more digitally advanced. A US business called Resecurity alerted the public in October 2023 to the availability of Indians’ personal information on the dark web. Given the volume and sensitivity of the data, it would have been simple to overlook this in the midst of the barrage of negative news that was flooding our news feeds. The vendor of the data set was offering sensitive, verifiable information about around 815 million (81.5 crore) Indian individuals, or 55% of the country’s total population.
This contained personally identifiable data such as address, phone number, passport number, Aadhaar number, and name. All for a pitiful USD 80,000. Delhi police had detained someone on December 18.
How vulnerable is India to cyberattacks?
With 759 million individuals, or more than 52% of the population, using the internet at least once a month in 2022, India has a sizable and expanding community of internet users.
After China, India has the world’s second-largest internet market.
It is anticipated that there will be 900 million by 2025.
The digital economy in India is growing quickly, with industries including healthcare, education, banking, retail, and agriculture depending on online platforms and services.
However, India faces sophisticated and persistent cyber threats from state-sponsored and non-state actors that target India’s strategic, economic, and other vulnerabilities due to its antiquated or insufficient cyber security infrastructure, policies, and awareness, which makes it simple for hackers to take advantage of the holes and weaknesses in the system.
What are the Challenges Posed by cyberattacks on
India?
Critical Infrastructure Vulnerability: India’s vital infrastructure, including communication networks, transportation systems, and power grids, is susceptible to cyberattacks that might compromise national security and public safety by interfering with necessary services.
For instance, the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant was the target of an attempted cyberattack in October 2019. ▪ Financial industry threats: Cybercriminals who want to make money by extorting or stealing it pose a serious threat to India’s financial industry.
Financial losses, identity theft, and a decline in confidence in the financial system can result from attacks on banks, financial institutions, and online payment systems.
For example, a virus assault on the SWIFT system of City Union Bank in March 2020 resulted in USD 2 million in unauthorised transactions.
▪ Privacy Issues and Data Breach: The quantity of government and personal data kept online is growing as India transitions to a digital economy. Additionally, this raises the possibility of data breaches, in which hackers get access to and divulge private data. Data breaches may have detrimental effects on people’s and organisations’ security and privacy.
For instance, in May 2021, a cybercrime forum sold the personally identifiable information (PII) and test results of 190,00 candidates for the 2020 Common Admission Test (CAT), which was used to choose applicants to the IIMs.
The use of cyberattacks to spy on or undermine the interests of other nations or organisations is known as cyber espionage. Like other nations, India is the subject of cyberespionage operations meant to obtain a strategic advantage and steal secret data. India’s foreign policy, economic growth, and national security can all be impacted by cyber espionage.
For instance, a cyber espionage effort known as Operation SideCopy, which was carried out by a Pakistani threat actor, was discovered in 2020. It used phishing emails and malware to target Indian military and diplomatic officials.
Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) are sophisticated, protracted cyberattacks that are often executed by highly qualified and resourced teams. These assaults are made to sneak into the target’s network and stay there for a lengthy period, giving them the opportunity to harm the system or steal or alter data.
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Because APTs employ sophisticated methods and resources to circumvent security safeguards, they are challenging to identify and stop.
For instance, in February 2021, RedEcho, a cyber security company, disclosed that eleven firms in India’s power industry had been targeted by an APT group with links to China, using malware that might potentially result in power disruptions.
Deficiencies in the hardware or software components utilised by the government are referred to as supply chain vulnerabilities.
companies for their activities. These flaws might be used by cybercriminals to breach the services and systems that rely on these parts and inflict extensive harm.
For instance, the National Informatics Centre (NIC), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) were among the Indian organisations impacted by the global cyberattack on SolarWinds, a US-based software company that offers network management tools, in December 2020.
What are the Initiatives Regarding Cyber Security?
▪ National Cyber Security Policy: This policy seeks to provide a safe and robust online environment for government, corporations, and individuals. Through the combined efforts of institutional structures, people, processes, and technology, it sets a number of goals and tactics to safeguard cyberspace information and infrastructure, develop skills to prevent and respond to cyberattacks, and limit losses.
▪ Cyber Surakshit Bharat Initiative: This program was started to educate frontline IT workers and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) in all government agencies about cybercrimes and to develop safety protocols.
In order to provide law enforcement agencies with a structure and setting for addressing cybercrimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) was established. The Cybercrime Ecosystem Management Unit, the National Cybercrime Training Centre, the National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit, the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, and the National Cybercrime Research and Innovation Centre are its seven components.
The National Cybercrime Forensic Laboratory Ecosystem serves as the platform for the collaborative cybercrime investigation team.
▪ Cyber Swachhta Kendra (a centre for malware analysis and botnet cleaning): By detecting botnet infections in India and notifying end users so that their computers may be cleansed and protected to prevent further infections, this facility, which was founded in 2017, seeks to offer a safe online environment.
The MeitY’s Computer Emergency Response Team-India (CERTIn) is an agency that gathers, examines, and disseminates data on cyber events and also sends out notifications regarding cybersecurity incidents.
.the term “critical information infrastructure” (CII) refers to a computer resource whose loss would have a crippling effect on public health, safety, the economy, or national security.
The National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) was created by the government to safeguard the CII of a number of industries, including banking, telecom, transportation, government, electricity, and strategic businesses.
▪ Defence Cyber Agency (DCyA): The Indian Armed Forces’ tri-service command in charge of managing cyber security threats is the DCyA. It can do cyber activities including data recovery, encryption, hacking, and surveillance.
What Should India Do Further to Save Itself from
Cyber attacks?
Fortifying Current legal Framework: The Information Technology (IT) Act of 2000, which has undergone several amendments to meet emerging issues and dangers, is the main piece of legislation in India that governs cybercrimes.
Nevertheless, the IT Act still has many shortcomings, including the low conviction rate of cybercriminals and the absence of precise definitions, protocols, and sanctions for certain cyberoffenses.
India must pass thorough and modern legislation that addresses every facet of cyber security, including cyberwarfare, cyberterrorism, cyberespionage, and cyberfraud.
7 ▪ Strengthening Cyber Security Capabilities: India has a number of programs and laws to strengthen its cyber security, including the Cyber Crime Reporting Platforms, Cyber Cells and Cybercrime Investigation Units, the National Cyber Security Policy,
However, due to India’s lack of technical personnel, cyber forensics resources, cyber security guidelines, and stakeholder cooperation, these initiatives remain insufficient and disjointed.
India must increase its investments in building up its technology and human capital, creating centres of excellence for cyber security, implementing best practices and standards, and encouraging cooperation and information exchange across various industries and authorities.
▪ Create a Cyber Security Board: India needs to create a cyber security board with representatives from the public and commercial sectors. This board would have the power to meet after a major cyber incident to discuss what went wrong and offer specific suggestions for enhancing cybersecurity.
Adopt a zero-trust architecture and require a standardised process for managing cybersecurity-related incidents and vulnerabilities.
Adopt a plan as quickly as feasible to upgrade and protect the state’s networks and update its incident response policy.
▪ Enhancing International Cooperation: India is not the only nation addressing cyber security concerns, since cyberattacks affect the whole world and transcend state boundaries.
India needs to engage more with other countries and international organisations, such as the United Nations, the International Telecommunication Union, Interpol, and the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise, in order to share threat intelligence, exchange best practices, harmonise cyber laws and norms, and work together on cyber investigations and prosecutions.
In order to foster trust and confidence and to address shared cyber security concerns and interests, India must also take a more active part in regional and bilateral discussions and initiatives, such as the BRICS, the ASEAN Regional Forum, and its own bilateral forums like the Indo-US Cyber Security Forum.
