A BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF CYBER SECURITY IN INDIA

                                       

                                      

                      "Data is the New Oil" : Klaus Schwab ( Executive Chairman, W.E.F) 

These were the words of world renowned intellectual Klaus Schwab, the founder of World Economic Forum at the recently concluded Davos summit in 2022. It shows the importance of cyber space in times to come. In this essay we are going to understand the causes and status of cyber crime, and finally delve into some pragmatic solutions at hand to increase cyber security at personal and organisational level starting from today.

 As per a latest survey on Cyber Security, India stands at third highest in number of cyber attacks worldwide. And this number is likely to increase in forth coming decade as highlighted in Ground Zero Summit, 2016 held at New Delhi. This is largely because of data explosion and Internet affordability, accessibiliity, and availability especially with the onset of new telecom players like Jio. Traditionally there exists a culture of using pirated, unsecured softwares, and lines of communication that make ones system an easy target for prying espionage all around.

 Coupled with above, there is a more serious dimension of trade wars and fourth dimensional combat to cyber crime as well. As we saw post Nupur Sharma's indecent controversial remarks that the cyber attacks on India's digital infrastructure doubled from hackers in south and south east Asia. This is largely because our enemies understand that new age cyber crime is a cost effective front to fight us as they could not stand a chance in conventional warfare where they used to be defeated and derooted, plus costs of war used to take a toll on their already faltering economies as well. 

Time and again we hear the news of a renouned public personalities falling for phishing traps. Amitabh Bachhan's bank account was siphoned off with money by dark web hackers, M.S Dhoni's confidential Aadhar information was infringed and publicly leaked on Social Media and more. Lawyers, doctors, engineers and professionals from every sphere of the society have at some point in their life received an impersonation call, pretending to be a bank agent or insurance agent asking for our bank details. Mini cyber crime hubs like Jamtara in Jharkand have erupted across India from where unemployed tech savvy youngsters, operating from remote call centres, masked IP Addresses call and dupe people of money over phone and Internet. A complete web series on OTT Platform Netflix by the name "Jamtara..." potrayed this notorious trend of duping public figures of their hard earned money. Ironically, these youngsters are intelligent, full of life, cyber skills and out of the box thinking. But they have used all their gifts for hurting others. Sadly, this is not the digital and Skilled India that we had aimed for. 

Cyber espionage described above is only one dimension of cyber crime. Every section of our society is vulnerable to a different and unique kind of cyber attack. An online survey found primary school going children to be susceptible to Cyber Bullying by their school seniors across social media platforms. Blue Whale game was just another such danger to our children. Women have been exposed to Cyber Stalking by predators, one sided psycopathic admirers. Corporates have reported Copyright Violations of their trade secrets. Artists and writers have complained of ONLINE PLAIGIARISM of their research and art work. Political activists such as Amnesty reporters complained of PRIVACY infringement through Pegasus that hon. SC came down heavily upon. Likewise the list of cyber crime is long and practically unending.

 Now that we have got an idea of the process and causes of Cyber crime. The question arises that what needs to be done to curb this 21st century menace that stares us in the face like a frenkelsteins monster. And We must learn from our past mistakes as well. Its an old saying that those who dont remember the past are destined to repeat it again. India got enslaved to british military might and scientific acumen in 18th century. This was because they out performed us in defense technology - the steam engine, the cartridge guns, during first wave of industrial revolution. However today we are living in fourth wave of industrial revolution i.e. IR 4.0. The humble days of defeating militarily are not in vogue today as they used to be in 18th century. The future lies in fourth and fifth dimensional warfare for which cyberspace is an inseparable part. We can't afford to lag behind in the race of big data transition and AI that beckons the world. 

 To secure our systems and servers we need to take a multidimensional approach. The starting point should be our defense installations and critical infrastructure of our country like telecom towers, nuclear centrifuges as a hit there would hurt us the most. National Critical Infrastructure Organization established under National Cyber Policy, 2016 is a positive beginning in this direction. Automated triggers and logs to alert us pre emptively against malwares like Stuxnet is the need of the hour. An emergency response team like Cert In and a National Coordination Centre should be ever watchful to predict prevent such attacks. After this, Indian police should start re training their personnel in cyber technology to track criminals. A good example of this can be found in the way notorous militants in Kashmir valley are zeroed in by police even if they operate from forests of Tral or meadows of Gurez that are terror hotspots in valley. 

Teachers should educate children of Cyber Bullying and Indecent depiction of Women on Internet. This will not only be helpful for grooming their fertile personalities but also create a sense of gender justice in them. This would further make them aware of their fundamental dutues, start respecting women from a yound impressionable age and make them grow to become responsible citizens in future. Lastly, we as common Indians should start the practice of using orininal softwares, clean hardwares. This would on one hand reduce our electronic dependence on China and on the other hand protect our data from being reconnaissanced by foreing hackers.

 As the world prepares itself for AI, Big data and IoT and India prepares itself for 5G, time has come when we fullfil our tryst with destiny to become a vishwaguru in I.T. (The journey that we began in 1990s). Big challenges lie ahead as I.T penetration deepens in rural india and digital divides get lessened. As we stated in the beginning of this essay that data is the new oil, the nation that controls its burgeoning data, controls the lifeline of future world economy and world order. We have the acumen, hackathon groomed talent at our Ground Zero, IIT geniuses, Atal Tinkered innovators and a respectable base to start from. All we need is a right direction and sense of urgency because as they say in computer science:

"Do not be gentle into the fading of the Night

Rise and fight against the dying of the light"