Q. Analyse the multidimensional issues posed by cyber attacks to the various stakeholders. (Answer in 150 words).
Modal Answer
Since outbreak of COVID-19, cyber-attacks have risen by 300% in India, highlighting the vulnerability of various stakeholders (individuals, Society, Business, Nation etc) to faceless, borderless, & complex nature of cyber world.
The multidimensional issues posed by the cyber-attacks are:
- For individuals
- Privacy:g. Domino's India data leak were put up on the dark web sale.
- Dignity: personal information used for trolling, stalking
- Online frauds: credit card frauds on Ecommerce portals
- Health issues: mental/sexual harassment, cyber bullying
- For society:
- Disinformation infodemic: leading to mass panic (Eg. exodus of northeast people from Bangalore), mob lynching (in UP, Maharashtra) etc
- Hateful posts inciting riots: riots in Delhi, Muzaffarnagar etc. due to morphed videos.
- Political manipulation: Computational propaganda influencing voter behaviour & democratic fabric.
- For businesses
- Critical Data thefts, hacking into Zoom meetings etc.
- Attack on fintech: Ransomware attacks (eg. Petya) impact credibility and public trust on the companies.
- For nation
- Risk to Critical infrastructure: such as power system, transportation, financial, telecom system etc,
- Threat to welfare state: Digital India and initiatives like Aadhaar, Bharat Net etc. are vulnerable to attacks.
- Increasing anti-national activities: Cyberspace allows terrorists, organised cartels, LWE etc to collaborate.
- 5th Domain of war: threat to external security
Reasons for Vulnerability to Cyber Attacks
- Increased dependence on technology
- Digital illiteracy
- Lack of robust data protection laws, processes, experts & institutions
Steps taken by the government:
· Legal framework: Information technology Act, 2000
· Policy: National Cyber Security Policy, 2013
· Institutions: NTRO, National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Center (NCIIPC), CERT-In, Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) etc
· Initiatives: Cyber Surakhshit Bharat, Cyber Swachhta Kendra, PM Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (Digital Literacy)
· Committees: Rao Inderjit Singh, BN SriKrishna Committee etc.
Way Forward:
- Single-centralized body to deal with cybercrimes, with Cybercrime cells constituted in each state, district, block
- Changing strategy: from ‘policy of defense’ and narrow-focus to ‘Cyber deterrence with offensive capabilities’.
- Data Security: Expeditious finalisation and passage of the Personal Data Protection Bill & boost digital literacy.
- Skilling: equip security professionals with modern tools to fight modern threats including AI, ML and Big Data.
- Amend the Evidence act: to suit the current requirements and prosecute the cybercrimes.
- Data localisation: Internet servers for critical sectors should be hosted within India.
There is a need to implement National Cyberspace Strategy in collaboration with civil society to bring Trust and Transparency with Confidence and Commitment for a secure and free cyberspace.
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