India is ready for the cyber attack: Amit Shah - GovtVacancy.Net

India is ready for the cyber attack: Amit Shah

In The News:

• The Union Home Minister stated that Cybersecurity was linked to national security while addressing the National Conference on Cyber Safety and National Security.

Today's Article:

• Cyber Security in India: Institutional Setup - Need for Restructuring
• News Summary

Institutional setup for Cyber Security in India

• Secretariat of the National Security Council (NSCS).
  • The NSCS is India's apex agency that investigates the country's political, economic and energy concerns.
  • National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC), who works under NSCS, coordinates with other agencies at the national level to address cyber security issues.
• National Information Board (NIB)
  • The responsibility for enunciating and coordinating all aspects of information security governance in the nation is assigned to the NIB.
  • The National Security Advisor (NSA) is the head of NIB.
• National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC):
  • NCCC will be established by CERT-In, and will operate under the NIB.
  • The components of NCCC include a cybersecurity prevention strategy, cybercrime investigation and training, as well as review of old laws.
• National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC):
  • The Cabinet Secretary is the head of NCMC, which is an apex body that deals with major crisis situations with national or severe ramifications.
  • It will also address national crises arising from cyber-attacks.
• CERT-IN (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team).
  • CERT-In, a functional organization that secures Indian cyberspace, is a function of CERT.
  • It monitors Indian cyberspace, coordinates alerts and warnings of imminent attacks, and detects malicious attacks.
• National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre, (NCIIPC). :
  • The Department of Information Technology (DIT), in January 2014, issued a notice announcing the creation of a specialized body to protect India’s CIIs.
  • The NCIIPC was established under the National Technical Research Organisation, (NTRO).

There are many Ministries that are involved in Cyber Security

• Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA: Ministry of Home Affairs issues security guidance from time-to-time to protect physical infrastructure.
  • Cybersecurity fell under the control of the Home Ministry until 2013.
• Ministry of Defence : It is responsible for responding to cybersecurity incidents in the Defence sector.
  • It also created the Defence CERT, whose primary function is coordination of the activities between services/MoD CERTs.
• Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
• The Ministry of External Affairs - It has its cyber security units that deal with international security and counterterrorism.

Restructuring

• Fragmented cybersecurity ecosystem
  • India's cybersecurity institutions are scattered and dispersed. There are many ministries and agencies that manage cybersecurity.
  • MEITY, MHA and Ministry of Defence have their own cybersecurity units.
  • Other specialized units include the Computer Emergency Response Team and the National Critical Information Infrastructure, as well as the National Cyber Coordination Centre.
• There is no unified agency
  • As of now, command and control in cyberspace has not been a top priority.
  • India has been unable to take a principled position on the global governance of cyberspace because there is no unified agency.
  • India has yet to make clear its position on cyberspace responsible behavior.
• India is experiencing an increase in cyber-attacks
  • According to official estimates, India lost around Rs 1.24 crore crore due to cyber-attacks in 2020.
  • Cyber-attacks rose by 500% in the aftermath of the pandemic. India was one of the most targeted countries.
    • More than 30% of attacks came from the USA.
  • According to the 2021 Norton Cyber-Safety Insights Report
    • Cyber-crime has been experienced by 59% of Indians in 2020, which is more than one in every two Indian adults.

News Summary

• Union Home Minster recently addressed the National Conference on Cyber Safety and National Security , organized by the MHA .
• This conference was organized to raise awareness of cyber-crimes prevention.

The speech's key highlights

• Cybercrime is more likely when there's more online presence
  • In the past eight years, there has been an increase of internet connections by 231 percent. India's data costs per GB have fallen by approximately 96 percent.
  • To the 80 crore Indians already online, 40 million users will be added by 2025.
  • Cybercrimes like malware, phishing attacks and targeted hits on critical infrastructure, as well as data thefts and online frauds, may rise.
• Cybercrime statistics presented
  • The Union Home Minister stated that 377 of these cases were reported in 2012 and that a similar number was 50,000 for 2020.
  • In 2020, an average of 136 cases of cybercrime were reported every day.
  • In four years, the number of cybercrimes per 15,000 population has also increased by 27% in comparison to 2016.
• Cybersecurity is tied to national security
  • Many countries have their own cyber armies.
  • These armies can be used to attack critical infrastructure like power stations, banks, and power stations.
• Security of critical information is essential
  • In the next few days, both data and information will be a major economic force.
  • India must be prepared for data and information security.
• India is alert to all cyber threats
  • He stated that India is always on the alert for all cyber threats.
  • It is updating its systems that operate under the umbrella from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre. (I4C).
  • I4C is covered by the MHA's cyber security (CIS), division.
    • In 2017, the government created the CIS division.

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