CYBER HYGIENE
| Date :20-Sep-2020 |
COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world in a drastic manner, teaching harsh lessons to humanity and also redefining people’s outlook towards threats hitherto dealt in a casual manner. Apart from challenging the health infrastructure, many other sectors including information technology and cyberspace have seen the threat landscape undergoing dynamic changes. Cyber-crime has witnessed an extraordinary 500 per cent increase during COVID-19 underscoring an urgent need of devising robust infrastructure to safeguard the country’s cyberspace. National Security Advisor Mr. Ajit Doval has laid out the Centre’s National Cyber-Security Strategy 2020 that envisions “a safe, secure, trusted, resilient and vibrant cyberspace for India’s prosperity” but given the rapidly changing threat perceptions from the dark web the country needs immediate and foolproof mechanism to instill more awareness and cyber hygiene among people.
The exponential rise in financial frauds due to greater dependence on digital platforms, especially during the coronavirus-forced lockdown, exposes people’s poor awareness on using such platforms and also bares open the gaping holes in cyber-security mechanisms employed by the respective institutions. India’s real challenge in securing its cyberspace lies in dealing with the general casualness prevailing in the society while using the digital platforms. It is same in every other sector that includes finance, governance, industry and defence. Cyber-security strategy has remained a work-in-progress activity in India. Despite making a major shift towards e-governance and digital finance, cyber-crime is a continuous threat for India’s cyber-security infrastructure.
The cyber world itself is an intriguing place with threats emerging at breakneck speed on each institution of critical importance. Experts have been warding off many such threats sent in the system through malicious domains and websites. Yet, the strike rate of cyber crooks is still far better than the saves made. This has been the story the world-over with rapid evolution of attacking techniques adopted by cyber criminals. It is always a chasing game for the security experts.
All the loopholes have been vividly demonstrated in the recent exposé of a Chinese firm that was snooping on personal data of thousands of Indians comprising top politicians, military generals, financial experts, bankers and security personnel. Security breach has also been reported in the Government’s nodal agency responsible for securing critical cyber-infrastructure, National Informatics Centre (NIC), where over 100 computers faced a malware attack. Compromising of such vital information related to country’s security and data of citizens is an alarm bell that cannot be ignored in wake of the border tensions with China and growing threats of hybrid warfare feared to be unleashed by cyber crooks owing allegiance to Beijing. Against the backdrop of the growing Chinese activities in the cyber domain, it becomes imperative for India to change gears and brace itself for a digital warfare apart from the military action on the ground.
The problem with digital warfare is it is not limited upto the security experts. The malicious actors target the common citizens through phishing vectors in a bid to damage the economic activities. These things have a cascading effect on the other sectors and become a cause of panic in the society. To take on these challenges the National Cyber-Security Strategy needs to incorporate ways to educate the general populace on securing their own data and finances. A vibrant cyberspace is also an invitation for the cyber-crooks to spread their tentacles through every available digital platform. The problem can be cured only through good cyber hygiene.