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  • Loss of Safe Harbour for Twitter

    Twitter has reportedly lost the coveted “safe harbour” immunity in India after failing to appoint statutory officers on time, as mandated by the new Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021.

    What is the news?

    • With this, the social media giant becomes the only American platform to have lost the protective shield – granted under Section 79 of the IT Act.
    • Its rival platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and WhatsApp remain protected.
    • The new development could mean that Twitter’s senior executives that include its India managing director, face legal actions under relevant IPC for ‘unlawful’ activities on the platform – even if conducted by users.

    Why such a move?

    • Earlier this week, Twitter said it appointed an interim Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), and the details of the officer were not yet shared with the government.
    • The company also posted job openings for a Nodal Officer and Resident Grievance Officer – the two key positions mandated by the central government’s IT Rules, 2021.

    What is safe harbour protection?

    • According to Section 79 of IT Act, 2000, “an intermediary shall not be liable for any third party information, data, or communication link made available or hosted by him,” therefore providing Safe Harbour protection.
    • To put it simply, the law notes that intermediaries such as Twitter or your Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are not liable to punishment if third parties (users) misuse the infrastructure, in this case, the platform.
    • However, the protection is guaranteed only when the intermediary does not ‘initiate the transmission,’ ‘select the receiver of the transmission,’ and ‘modify the information contained in the transmission.’
    • It means that as long as the platform acts just as the medium to carry out messages from users A to user B, that is, without interfering in any manner, it will be safe from any legal prosecution.

    Inception of the concept

    • In its original form, the IT Act 2000 provided little or no Safe Harbour protection to internet intermediaries as the definition of the intermediary was restricted.
    • However, things began changing in 2004, in a case where a student posted an obscene clip for sale.
    • The student and the CEO of that company were both held later for letting pornographic material circulate online.
    • The CEO challenged the proceedings against him, contending that he could not be personally held liable for the listing and that the MMS was transferred directly between the seller and buyer without the intervention of the website.
    • The executive was acquitted, the case eventually resulted in the addition of Section 79 in the IT Act to provide immunity to intermediaries.

    Why has Twitter lost the protection?

    • Over the years, social media platforms have evolved and often tend to act as gatekeepers.
    • For instance, Twitter banning Donald Trump and adding “manipulated media” label on select posts have been questioned by excerpts.
    • In other words, an intermediary’s ability to “modify the information contained in the transmission,” opens rooms for revision of the law, experts believe.
    • Hence, the government introduced the IT Rules 2021 in December last year and implemented it in May 2021.
    • As per the new order, all social media platforms with more than 50 lakh (five million) users will need to appoint a Chief Compliance Officer, a Nodal Contact Person, and a Resident Grievance Officer from India to smoothen the grievance mechanism for citizens.
    • The officers will need to acknowledge queries with 24 hours and resolve them in 15 days from the date of receipt.

    What can happen next?

    • Once a company loses the Safe Harbour protection, technically, officials are liable to punishment if a post even by a third user violates local laws.
    • The new IT Rules 2021 do not mention any ban for non-compliance.
    • But with an estimated 1.75 crore users in India, Twitter would likely fill key positions soon to comply with the new norms laid by the government.
    • As mentioned, the company already appointed an interim Chief Compliance Officer earlier.
    • This, according to the government, means that the protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology (IT) Act, accorded to Twitter for being a social media intermediary, now stands withdrawn.

    How does this impact Twitter?

    • If someone puts out any content on Twitter that leads to some form of violence, or violates any Indian law with respect to content, not only the person that has put out the tweet will be held responsible.
    • Even Twitter will be legally liable for the content as it no longer has the protection.

    Is there something else that can happen subsequently?

    • In the longer run, there is also the theoretical possibility that Twitter might be subjected to the 26 per cent cap of direct foreign investment in media and publishing.
    • This in turn means that the platform may be forced to look for an Indian buyer for the remaining 74 per cent stake.

  • India to launch Deep Ocean Mission

    The Union Cabinet has approved the long-pending Deep Ocean Mission since 2018.

    Deep Ocean Mission (DOM)

    • Nodal Agency: Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)
    • The mission proposes to explore the deep ocean similar to the space exploration started by ISRO.
    • Underwater robotics and ‘manned’ submersibles are key components of the Mission which will help India harness various living and non-living (water, mineral and energy) resources from the seabed and deep water.
    • The tasks that will be undertaken over this period include deep-sea mining, survey, energy exploration and offshore-based desalination.
    • These technological developments are funded under an umbrella scheme of the government – called Ocean Services, Technology, Observations, Resources Modelling and Science (O-SMART).

    Six major components

    (1) Development of Technologies for Deep Sea Mining, and Manned Submersible:

    • A manned submersible will be developed to carry three people to a depth of 6000 metres in the ocean with suite of scientific sensors and tools.
    • Only a very few countries have acquired this capability.
    • An Integrated Mining System will be also developed for mining Polymetallic Nodules from 6000 m depth in the central Indian Ocean.

    (2) Development of Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services:

    • A suite of observations and models will be developed to understand and provide future projections of important climate variables on seasonal to decadal time scales under this proof of concept component.
    • This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of coastal tourism.

    (3) Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity:

    • Bio-prospecting of deep-sea flora and fauna including microbes and studies on sustainable utilization of deep-sea bio-resources will be the main focus.
    • This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of Marine Fisheries and allied services.

    (4) Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration:

    • The primary objective of this component is to explore and identify potential sites of multi-metal Hydrothermal Sulphides mineralization along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges.
    • This component will additionally support the Blue Economy priority area of deep-sea exploration of ocean resources.

    (5) Energy and freshwater from the Ocean:

    • Studies and detailed engineering design for offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plant are envisaged in this proof of concept proposal.
    • This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of offshore energy development.

    (6) Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology:

    • This component is aimed at the development of human capacity and enterprise in ocean biology and engineering.
    • This component will translate research into the industrial application and product development through on-site business incubator facilities.
    • This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of Marine Biology, Blue trade and Blue manufacturing.

    Why need such a mission?

    • Oceans, which cover 70 per cent of the globe, remain a key part of our life. About 95 percent of the Deep Ocean remains unexplored.
    • For India, with its three sides surrounded by the oceans and around 30 per cent of the country’s population living in coastal areas.
    • The ocean is a major economic factor supporting fisheries and aquaculture, tourism, livelihoods and blue trade.
    • Oceans are also a storehouse of food, energy, minerals, medicines, modulator of weather and climate and underpin life on Earth.

    Pre-requisites to this mission

    • India has been allotted a site of 75,000 square kilometres in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) by the UN International Sea Bed Authority for the exploitation of polymetallic nodules (PMN).

    Hunt for PMNs

    • These are rocks scattered on the seabed containing iron, manganese, nickel and cobalt.
    • Being able to lay hands on a fraction of that reserve can meet the energy requirement of India for the next 100 years.
    • It has been estimated that 380 million metric tonnes of polymetallic nodules are available at the bottom of the seas in the Central Indian Ocean.
    • India’s Exclusive Economic Zone spreads over 2.2 million square kilometers.

  • [pib] Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) for Phosphatic & Potassic (P&K) Fertilizers

    The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers for fixation of Nutrient Based Subsidy Rates for P&K Fertilizers for the year 2021-22.

    Key Points

    About Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP):

    • DAP is the second most commonly used fertiliser in India after urea.
    • Farmers normally apply this fertiliser just before or at the beginning of sowing, as it is high in phosphorus (P) that stimulates root development.
    • DAP (46% P, 18% Nitrogen) is the preferred source of Phosphorus for farmers. This is similar to urea, which is their preferred nitrogenous fertiliser containing 46% N.

    About Subsidy Scheme for Fertilisers:

      • Under the current scheme, the MRP of Urea is fixed but the subsidy can vary while MRP of DAP is decontrolled (i.e subsidy is fixed but the MRP can vary).
      • All Non-Urea based fertilisers are regulated under Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme.

    About Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) Regime:

      • Under the NBS regime – fertilizers are provided to the farmers at the subsidized rates based on the nutrients (N, P, K & S) contained in these fertilizers.
      • Also, the fertilizers which are fortified with secondary and micronutrients such as molybdenum (Mo) and zinc are given additional subsidy.
      • The subsidy on Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers is announced by the Government on an annual basis for each nutrient on a per kg basis – which are determined taking into account the international and domestic prices of P&K fertilizers, exchange rate, inventory level in the country etc.
      • NBS policy intends to increase the consumption of P&K fertilizers so that optimum balance (N:P:K= 4:2:1) of NPK fertilization is achieved.
        • This would improve soil health and as a result the yield from the crops would increase, resulting in enhanced income to the farmers.
        • Also, as the government expects rational use of fertilizers, this would also ease off the burden of fertilizer subsidy.
      • It is being implemented from April 2010 by the Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers.

    Issues Related to NBS:

    1.Imbalance in Price of Fertilisers:

    • Urea is left-out in the scheme and hence it remains under price control as NBS has been implemented only in other fertilizers.
    • There is an imbalance as the price of fertilizers (other than urea) — which were decontrolled have gone up from 2.5 to four times during the 2010-2020 decade.
    • However, since 2010, the price of urea has increased only by 11%. This has led to farmers using more urea than before, which has further worsened fertilizer imbalance.

    2.Costs on Economy and Environment :

    Fertilizer subsidy is the second-biggest subsidy after food subsidy, the NBS policy is not only damaging the fiscal health of the economy but also proving detrimental to the soil health of the country.

    3.Black Marketing :

    • Subsidised urea is getting diverted to bulk buyers/traders or even non-agricultural users such as plywood and animal feed makers.
    • It is being smuggled to neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Nepal.

    Implications of Increasing the Subsidy on DAP :

    • As farmers will start sowing operations for Kharif Crops, it is highly important for them to get the fertilisers at subsidised rate so as to keep inflation at check.
    • Politically, too, to turn down the farmer protests, during the time of the Covid’s second wave, is the last thing the government would want.

  • Electoral bonds

    The article highlights the issues with the political funding through electoral bonds.

    Changes made for the electoral bond and issues with them

    • Earlier, only profit-making domestic companies could contribute to political parties; now loss-making companies can too.
    • Earlier, foreign companies or companies where the controlling stake was held by a foreign company couldn’t contribute; now they can. 
    • India’s political parties could theoretically be fully funded by a foreign company operating in India or by a foreign entity through a shell company.
    • Only the ruling party via the State Bank of India (SBI) has a full account of all donations being made via electoral bonds, to itself and to Opposition parties.

    Issues in the Supreme Court verdict

    • In March 2021, the Supreme Court refused to stay the sale of electoral bonds before the West Bengal elections.
    • Instead, the judgment listed several documents which supposedly establish a paper trail on donations and do some ‘match the following’.
    • This is impractical and plainly incorrect.
    • The Right to Information (RTI) Act of 2005 enables easier access to information held by public authorities.
    • Suggesting a “match the following” is incorrect for three reasons.

    1) Full scale of registered entities in unknown

    • If we set aside individual donors and focus just on registered entities, we will find that the full scale of registered entities is unknown. 
    • According to back-of-the-envelope calculations, there are close to 25 lakh potential donors comprising just companies and firms.
    • This includes about 12.6 lakh active private limited companies as of January 31, 2021.
    • Firms, unlike companies, have no regulatory mandate to submit their annual reports except for filing their annual tax returns, since their functioning is regulated by Acts other than the Companies Act of 2013.

    2) No disclosure by companies about donation to political parties

    • Even if registered companies filed annual financial statements, many do not disclose political donations.
    • Conveniently, the Finance Bill of 2017 amended Section 182 of the Companies Act of 2013 to remove the requirement for declaring disaggregated donations to political parties.
    • Even if registered companies filed annual financial statements, many do not disclose political donations.

    3) Political parties do not need to disclose their donor

    • Crucially, political parties do not need to disclose their electoral bond donors either.
    • Strictly speaking, political parties are not even supposed to know their electoral bond donors.
    • The only requirement is the annual audit reports with a total of all donations received via electoral bonds.
    • These reports are submitted with great delays.
    • Even if these reports are submitted on time, there is no way to match a donation of a company to that received by a political party as only aggregate amounts are available.

    Implications

    • Electoral bonds give political power to companies, wealthy individual donors, and foreign entities, thus diluting the universal franchise of one voter-one vote.
    •  Every vote is not equally valuable if companies can influence policies through hidden donations.
    •  The winner of this arrangement is the ruling party, whether at the Centre or in a State, and the loser is the average voter.

    Way forward

    • Companies and political parties could exercise moral leadership and voluntarily disclose the identity of recipients and donors, as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha recently did.

    Conclusion

    Opacity in political funding goes against the basic tenets of democracy. What we need is a system of political funding which is transparent and fair.

  • [pib] NAFED launches Fortified Rice Bran Oil

    The Department of Food and Public Distribution today E-launched “NAFED Fortified Rice Bran Oil”.

    Rice Bran Oil

    • Rice bran oil is the oil extracted from the hard outer brown layer of rice called chaff (rice husk).
    • It is known for its high smoke point of 232 °C (450 °F) and mild flavor, making it suitable for high-temperature cooking methods such as stir-frying and deep-frying.
    • It is popular as a cooking oil in the Indian subcontinent.
    • It has a composition similar to that of peanut oil, with 38% monounsaturated, 37% polyunsaturated, and 25% saturated fatty acids.
    • It is generally safe for consumption for most people when used in moderate amounts. However excessive usage of rice bran oil can lead to stomach discomfort.

    What is NAFED oil?

    • Rice Bran oil from NAFED will be fortified and it will be ensured that it will contain additional nutrients and vitamins.
    • This Rice bran oil will be marketed by NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd).
    • According to the FSSAI, fortified oil can help a person fulfill 25-30% of the recommended dietary intake for vitamins A and D.
    • NAFED Fortified Rice Bran Oil will be available at all NAFED Stores and also on various online platforms.

    Benefits of the NAFED oil

    • This initiative will significantly reduce the country’s consumption dependence on imported edible oil in the future.
    • This will provide opportunities for Indian edible oil manufacturers further, and also will give an impetus to the Aatmnirbhar Bharat initiative.
    • It will provide easy access to NAFED branded high-quality rice bran oil, which will also give a boost to the indigenous oil manufacturing industry.

    Health benefits of rice bran oil

    • Rice Bran oil has multiple health benefits, including lowering cholesterol levels due to its low trans-fat content and high monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat contents.
    • It also acts as a booster and reduces the risk of cancer due to the high amount of Vitamin E it contains.
    • This oil is recommended by The American Heart Association and the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the best substitutes for other edible oils.

    About NAFED

    • NAFED is an apex organization under the Ministry of Agriculture that deals with marketing cooperatives for agricultural produce in India.
    • It is registered under the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act.
    • It was set up with the object to promote Cooperative marketing of agricultural produce to benefit the farmers.
    • Agricultural farmers are the main members of NAFED, who have the authority to say in the form of members of the General Body in the working of NAFED.

  • What is Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS)?

    The Centre has informed the Supreme Court regarding the purchase of grains by the States and the UTs under the Open Market Sales Scheme (OMSS) in 2021-2022 while debunking apprehensions that those without ration cards may be left to die.

    Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS)

    • OMSS refers to the selling of food grains by the government/government agencies at predetermined prices in the open market from time to time.
    • This scheme aims to enhance the supply of grains especially during the lean season and thereby to moderate the general open market prices, especially in the deficit regions.
    • The Food Corporation of India (FCI) on the instructions from the Government, sells wheat and rice in the open market from time to time.
    • This enhances the supply of wheat and rice especially during the lean season and moderates the open market prices, especially in the deficit regions.

    Components of the scheme

    The present form of OMSS comprises 3 schemes as under:

    1. Sale of wheat to bulk consumers/private traders through e-auction.
    2. Sale of wheat to bulk consumers/private traders through e-auction by dedicated movement.
    3. Sale of Raw Rice Grade ‘A’ to bulk consumers/private traders through e-auction.

    Selling through a transparent process

    • For transparency in operations, the Corporation has switched over to e-auction for sale under Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic).
    • The FCI conducts a weekly auction to conduct this scheme in the open market using the platform of commodity exchange NCDEX (National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Limited).
    • The State Governments/ Union Territory Administrations are also allowed to participate in the e-auction if they require wheat and rice outside TPDS & OWS.

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

    Q.The economic cost of food grains to the Food Corporation of India is Minimum Support Price and bonus (if any) paid to the farmers plus:

    (a) Transportation cost only

    (b) Interest cost only

    (c) Procurement incidentals and distribution cost

    (d) Procurement incidentals and charges for godowns

  • New Shephard rocket system for cost-effective access to space

    Last week, Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos’s space company called Blue Origin concluded the online auction for the first seat on New Shephard, a rocket system meant to take tourists to space.

    What is New Shephard?

    • New Shephard has been named after astronaut Alan Shephard – the first American to go to space – and offers flights to space over 100 km above the Earth and accommodation for payloads.
    • Essentially, it is a rocket system that has been designed to take astronauts and research payloads past the Karman line – the internationally recognized boundary of space.
    • The idea is to provide easier and more cost-effective access to space meant for purposes such as academic research, corporate technology development, and entrepreneurial ventures among others.
    • Apart from its academic and research-oriented goal, New Shephard will also allow space tourists to experience microgravity by taking them 100 km above the Earth.

    Its components

    • The rocket system consists of two parts, the cabin or capsule, and the rocket or the booster.
    • The cabin can accommodate experiments from small Mini Payloads up to 100 kg.
    • As per Blue Origin, the Mini Payloads provide easier space access to students, who are part of educational institutions that are developing their own space programs.
    • Further, the cabin is designed for six people and sits atop a 60 feet tall rocket and separates from it before crossing the Karman line, after which both vehicles fall back to the Earth.
    • All the six seats in the capsule are meant for passengers, each of whom gets their own window seat. The capsule is fully autonomous and does not require a pilot.

    How does it work?

    • The system is a fully reusable, vertical takeoff and vertical landing space vehicle that accelerates for about 2.5 minutes before the engine cuts off.
    • After separating from the booster, the capsule free falls in space, while the booster performs an autonomously controlled vertical landing back to Earth.
    • The capsule, on the other hand, lands back with the help of parachutes.

    A boost for space tourism

    • Space tourism seeks to give laypeople the ability to go to space for recreational, leisure, or business purposes.
    • The idea is to make space more accessible to those individuals who are not astronauts and want to go to space for non-scientific purposes.

  • NatGeo recognizes ‘Southern Ocean’ as globe’s fifth ocean

    The National Geographic magazine has recognized the ‘Southern Ocean’ as the world’s fifth ocean June 8, 2021 hoping others will soon follow suit.

    Answer this PYQ from CSP 2019 in the comment box:

    Q.The most important fishing grounds of the world are found in the regions where:

    (a) warm and cold atmospheric currents meet

    (b) rivers drain out large amounts of freshwater into the sea

    (c) warm and cold oceanic currents meet

    (d) continental shelf is undulating

    Southern Ocean

    • The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica.
    • As such, it is regarded as the second-smallest of the five principal oceanic divisions: smaller than the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans but larger than the Arctic Ocean.
    • Over the past 30 years, the Southern Ocean has been subject to rapid climate change, which has led to changes in the marine ecosystem.

    What has NatGeo attempted?

    • The magazine says the Southern Ocean is the only ocean ‘to touch three other oceans and to completely embrace a continent rather than being embraced by them’.
    • Its northern limit is a latitude of 60 degrees south.
    • It is also defined by its Antarctic Circumpolar Current that was formed 34 million years ago. The current flows from west to east around Antarctica.
    • The Southern Ocean is home to large populations of whales, penguins, and seals.

    Why such a move?

    • Usually, the magazine has followed the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) on marine names, it said in an article notifying the change.
    • The IHO too had recognized ‘Southern Ocean’ as a distinct body of water surrounding Antarctica in 1937 but had repealed the same in 1953.

  • Synthetic biology and its implications for national security

    Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, the article discusses the national security threat emanating from biological weapons.

    Synthetic biology

    • Synthetic biology is a revolutionary technology that can help us manipulate biological organisms and processes for human betterment, especially in treating diseases, by re-engineering cells.
    •  In 2014, the U.S. Department of Defense categorised synthetic biology as one of the six ‘disruptive basic research areas’.
    • Unlike the nuclear domain, the fields of biology or synthetic biology are not regulated internationally despite growing military interest in it.

    Risks involved

    • There is the possibility of deliberate misuse of synthetic biology.
    • There is a need to carefully review, especially in the wake of the pandemic, the biosecurity systems in place where such technologies are in use.
    • Accidental leaks of experimental pathogens are another concern.
    • There has been very little focus on threats emanating from biological sources as compared to the focus on nuclear weapons.
    • This is despite the fact that a well-orchestrated biological attack could have serious implications.
    • This was before synthetic biology came into play.
    • A well-planned attack using highly infectious pathogens synthetically engineered in a lab could be disastrous.
    • It would be difficult to pin responsibility on a specific actor if the incubation period is high,

    BTWC: An inadequate mechanism for regulation

    • Despite being the weapon of mass destruction (WMD) safety and security attention given to bio-weapons is not at par with nuclear and chemical weapons.
    • There is an international convention and an implementing body for both nuclear and chemical weapons.
    • However, for bio-weapons, all we have is the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) of 1972 with no implementing body.
    • The BTWC does not have a verification clause, nor does it have clearly laid down rules and procedures to guide research in this field.
    • Article 1 of the BTWC bans bio-weapons but research for medical and bio-defence purposes are allowed.
    • While this is understandable, the problem is that there is a thin line between bio-defence research and bio-weapons research. 
    • An Ad Hoc Group set up in 1994 to negotiate a Protocol to enhance the transparency of treaty-relevant biological facilities and activities to help deter violations of the BTWC submitted a report at the Fifth BTWC Review Conference in 2001 but was not accepted by the member states.

    Concerns for India

    • India is at a uniquely disadvantaged position in this area given poor disease surveillance, insufficient coordination among various government departments dealing with biosecurity issues, and the pathetic state of the healthcare system.
    • India has multiple institutions dealing with biosafety and biosecurity threats but there is no coordination among them.
    • Given the rising risk of diseases of zoonotic origin, the traditional ministry-wise separation might not be useful.
    •  India, with its porous borders and ill-trained border control institutions, will remain vulnerable to pathogens or dangerous biological organisms.

    Way forward

    • Pandemics have also highlighted that the traditional distinction at the international institutional level between biological weapons (a field governed by the BTWC) and diseases (governed by BTWC) may not be useful anymore.
    • There needs to be more conversation between health specialists and bio-weapons/defence specialists.
    • The November 2021 BTWC review conference must take stock of the advances in the field, address the thinning line between biotechnology research and bio-weapons research, and consider international measures for monitoring and verification.

    Consider the question “How synthetic biology poses security challenges for India and the rest of the world? Suggest the measures to deal with this challenge.” 

    Conclusion

    Covid-19 should serve as a wake-up call to give BTWC more teeth in dealing with the bio-weapons with a suitable institutional mechanism.

  • Cyberattacks reveal vulnerabilities in critical infrastructures

    The article highlights the threat posed by cyberattacks to our critical infrastructure and suggest the ways to deal with the the ever evolving threat.

    Civilian targets of cyberattacks

    • Several high-profile cyberattacks were reported from the United States during the past several months.
    • These attacks were all primarily on civilian targets, though each one was of critical importance.
    • Obviously cyber, which is often referred to as the fifth domain/dimension of warfare, is now largely being employed against civilian targets.
    • Most nations have been concentrating till date mainly on erecting cyber defences to protect military and strategic targets, but this will now need to change.

    Challenges

    • Defending civilian targets, and more so critical infrastructure, against cyberattacks such as ransomware and phishing is almost certain to stretch the capability and resources of governments across the globe.
    • The distinction between military and civilian targets is increasingly getting erased and the consequences of this could be indeterminate.
    •  In the civilian domain, two key manifestations of the ‘cat and mouse game’ of cyber warfare today, are ransomware and phishing, including spear phishing.
    • Banking and financial services were most prone to ransomware attacks till date, but oil, electricity grids, and lately, health care, have begun to figure prominently.
    • Ransomware attacks have skyrocketed, with demands and payments going into multi-millions of dollars.
    • India figures prominently in this list, being one of the most affected.
    • Compromised ‘health information’ is proving to be a vital commodity for use by cybercriminals.
    • All indications are that cybercriminals are increasingly targeting a nation’s health-care system and trying to gain access to patients’ data.
    • The available data aggravates the risk not only to the individual but also to entire communities.
    • Cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated, and are now engaged in stealing sensitive data in targeted computers before launching a ransomware attack.
    • Also, today’s cybercriminals, specially those specialising in ransomware and similar attacks, are different from the ordinary  criminals.
    • Many are known to practise ‘reverse engineering’ and employ ‘penetration testers’ to probe high secure networks.

    Way forward

    • The need to be aware of the nature of the cyber threat to their businesses and take adequate precautionary measures, has become extremely vital.
    • Cybersecurity essentially hinges on data protection. 
    • As data becomes the world’s most precious commodity, attacks on data and data systems are bound to intensify.
    • With mobile and cloud computing expanding rapidly cybersecurity professionals are now engaged in building a ‘Zero Trust Based Environment’, viz., zero trust on end point devices, zero trust on identity, and zero trust on the network to protect all sensitive data. 
    • Building deep technology in cyber is essential.
    • New technologies such as artificial intelligence, Machine learning and quantum computing, also present new opportunities.
    • Pressure also needs to be put on officials in the public domain, as also company boards, to carry out regular vulnerability assessments and create necessary awareness of the growing cyber threat.

    Consider the question “Several high-profile cyberattacks across the world have exposed vulnerabilities in the critical infrastructure of even advanced nations. In light of this, examine the challenges posed by cyberattacks and suggest measures to deal with these challenges.” 

    Conclusion

    The threat posed by the cyberattacks highlights the need for improved defences against actual, and potential, cyberattacks by all countries across continents.