Subject: Cyber Security

The National Cybercrime Reporting Portal defines Cybercrime as any unlawful act where a computer, computer network, or electronic device is used as a tool or target to commit or facilitate a crime.

Types of cybercrimes

Authorized Push Payment- Deceiving victims into voluntarily transferring funds to fraudulent accounts. Eg- “Digital Arrest” scams in 2024-25 – losses of over .

Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS)- Deploying malicious software that encrypts critical data, demanding payment for the key. Eg- attack on Delhi’s Sant Parmanand Hospital

AI-Enabled Deepfakes & Phishing- Eg- rise in “Deepfake Voice Cloning” used to authorize fraudulent bank transfers.

Digital Espionage- Unauthorized exfiltration of sensitive personal or strategic data from state or corporate servers.

State-Sponsored Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs)- Eg- Pakistan-linked actors used “Dance of the Hillary” malware to infiltrate DRDO systems during “Operation Sindoor”

Cryptocurrency Heists – Eg- theft of $230 million from WazirX exchange

Cyber-Slavery – Trafficking individuals to foreign “fraud factories” to operate transnational scam centers. Eg- “Cyber Slavery” hubs in Cambodia and Myanmar

Cyber Stalking and Harassment – Eg- Women targeted through doxxing and revenge porn.

Online Radicalisation – Eg- ISIS recruitment through social media.

Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks- Intercepting and potentially altering communications between two parties without their knowledge. Eg- Pune businessman losing Rs 6.49 cr

Measures to Strengthen Cyber Security in India

Legal Measures

Stringent implementation of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act to hold “Data Fiduciaries” (companies) accountable for breaches.

Replacing the IT Act, 2000, with the proposed Digital India Act to address modern threats like Deepfakes, AI-driven extortion.

Institutional Measures

Expanding the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre to serve as a 24/7 national “War Room” for real-time threat mitigation and interstate coordination.

Strengthening the NCIIPC to secure “Critical Information Infrastructure” (CII) such as power grids, nuclear plants, and banking systems.

Establishing dedicated cyber-police stations in every district, integrated with the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (1930).

Policy Measures

Implementing the National Cyber Security Strategy focusing on Sovereign Cyber Defense and building a “Cyber-Resilient” ecosystem.

Adhering to the CERT-In Cyber Security Audit Policy, which mandates annual third-party audits for all government and critical sector entities.

Promoting the Golden Hour Protocol to report financial frauds within the first 2 hours.

Technological Measures

Zero-Trust Architecture (ZTA)- Transitioning from traditional perimeter security to a “Never Trust, Always Verify” model for all digital access requests.

AI-Driven Threat Intelligence- Deploying machine learning algorithms for real-time detection of anomalies and Automated Incident Response (AIR).

Promoting the “Atmanirbhar” development of indigenous operating systems and security software. Eg- Maya OS

Global Measures

Leveraging partnerships like the Quad Senior Cyber Group to share threat intelligence on state-sponsored APTs (Advanced Persistent Threats) in the Indo-Pacific.

Collaborating with Interpol (Project Gateway) and FATF to track and dismantle the financial backbones of transnational “Cyber Slavery” hubs.

Social Measures

Digital Literacy (Cyber Shikshaa)- awareness campaigns like #CyberDost

Capacity building of the judicial and police workforce through the CyTrain portal

Cyber Hygiene- Eg- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and use of the “Chakshu” portal for reporting suspicious communications.

As cybercrimes move into the realm of “Grey Zone Warfare,” India’s cyber defense must be proactive rather than reactive.

As per report of CloudSEK, India emerged as the second most targeted nation in terms of cyber attacks in 2024.

Impact of Cross-Border Cyber Attacks

Threat to Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) – Eg – attempts by the Pakistan-linked APT36 group to infiltrate India’s Northern Power Grid

Economic Destabilization by attacks on financial gateways like UPI or BSE.

Salami-Slicing of Intellectual Property (IP)- Eg- theft of IP from manufacturing and pharmaceutical sectors to weaken India’s “Make in India” competitive edge.

State-Sponsored Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs)- Eg- Pakistan-linked actors used “Dance of the Hillary” malware to infiltrate DRDO systems during “Operation Sindoor”

Compromise of National Defense & Military Intelligence- “Operation FlightNight” targeted Indian defense and energy sectors using malware disguised as an Indian Air Force invitation.

Psychological Warfare- Eg- Following the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan-linked groups flooded social media with 2 lakh deepfakes and “forged” government documents to spread panic.

Threat to privacy. Eg- Star Health Insurance breach leaking data of 31 million customers

“Mass Defacement” – Simultaneously taking down hundreds of government websites to Undermine government authority

Measures to Strengthen Cyber Security in India

Legal Measures

Stringent implementation of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act to hold “Data Fiduciaries” (companies) accountable for breaches.

Empower the CBI to investigate cybercrime cases nationwide without needing general consent from state. (Parliamentary panel on home affairs)

Replacing the IT Act, 2000, with the proposed Digital India Act to address modern threats like Deepfakes, AI-driven extortion.

Institutional Measures

Expanding the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre to serve as a 24/7 national “War Room” for real-time threat mitigation and interstate coordination.

Strengthening the NCIIPC to secure “Critical Information Infrastructure” (CII).

Establishing dedicated cyber-police stations in every district, integrated with the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (1930).

Policy Measures

Implementing the National Cyber Security Strategy focusing on Sovereign Cyber Defense and building a “Cyber-Resilient” ecosystem.

Adhering to the CERT-In Cyber Security Audit Policy, which mandates annual third-party audits for all government and critical sector entities.

Promoting the Golden Hour Protocol to report financial frauds within the first 2 hours.

Technological Measures

Zero-Trust Architecture (ZTA)- Transitioning from traditional perimeter security to a “Never Trust, Always Verify” model for all digital access requests.

AI-Driven Threat Intelligence- Deploying machine learning algorithms for real-time detection of anomalies and Automated Incident Response (AIR).

Promoting the “Atmanirbhar” development of indigenous operating systems and security software. Eg- Maya OS

Global Measures

Leveraging partnerships like the Quad Senior Cyber Group to share threat intelligence on state-sponsored APTs (Advanced Persistent Threats) in the Indo-Pacific.

Collaborating with Interpol (Project Gateway) and FATF to track and dismantle the financial backbones of transnational “Cyber Slavery” hubs.

Social Measures

Digital Literacy (Cyber Shikshaa)- awareness campaigns like #CyberDost

Capacity building of the judicial and police workforce through the CyTrain portal

Cyber Hygiene- Eg- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and use of the “Chakshu” portal for reporting suspicious communications.

As cybercrimes move into the realm of “Grey Zone Warfare,” India’s cyber defense must be proactive rather than reactive.

As per IT Act, 2000, “cyber security” means protecting information, equipment, communication device and information stored therein from unauthorised access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification or destruction.

Elements of cyber security

Core Principles (The CIA Triad)

Confidentiality– Keeping sensitive data private from unauthorized access. Eg- encryption

Integrity– Ensuring data is accurate, trustworthy, and hasn’t been altered. Eg- digital signatures.

Availability– Ensuring systems are accessible to authorized users when needed. Eg- backups.

Key Security Domains & Functions

Network Security– Protecting network infrastructure (firewalls).

Endpoint Security– Securing devices like laptops, phones (antivirus).

Application Security– Securing software and apps.

Data Security- Implementing encryption and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) tools.

Identity & Access Management (IAM)– Eg- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Incident Response– Planning for and managing security breaches.

Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity– Planning for system restoration.

Security Operations Center- A centralized unit that monitors, detects, and responds in real-time

Steps Taken to Strengthen Cybersecurity

DPDP Act, 2023 – imposing penalties up to on Data Fiduciaries for security lapses.

Centralized Command – designated the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) as the nodal agency.

Cyber Fraud Mitigation Centre – provide a real-time platform for banks, and police to freeze fraudulent funds.

Dedicated CERT-In have been established for critical sectors like Power and Finance.

CERT-In guidelines mandating annual cybersecurity audits for all critical sector entities by empanelled auditors.

Zero-Trust Integration- mandatory “Never Trust, Always Verify” architecture for all G2G and G2C digital services.

Sovereign Technology- deployment of Maya OS across defense and critical ministries.

The National Quantum Mission (2025) – piloting Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) for high-security government communications.

Cyber Jagrit Bharat- A nationwide awareness campaign, including a “Cyber Pledge” and webinars for citizens.

Quad Senior Cyber Group to counter state-sponsored APTs in the Indo-Pacific.

Signing of UN Convention on Cybercrime (Hanoi convention) to streamline cross-border digital evidence sharing and extradition.

Challenges That Remain

Workforce Shortage- 30% talent gap in high-end cybersecurity roles (forensics, malware analysis).

Legacy Infrastructure- Nearly 57% of Indian organizations still lack basic cyber hygiene (India Cyber Threat Report 2025)

AI-driven “double extortion” ransomware and Deepfake-as-a-Service are evolving faster than defensive protocols.

Federal Coordination issues- many State-level cyber cells lack the funding and technical expertise to handle transnational crimes.

Cross-Border Anonymity- use of proxy servers in non-extradition jurisdictions makes prosecution nearly impossible.

Import dependency – India imports over 70% of its telecom and IT hardware from China.

Low Digital literacy – Eg- limited awareness about using MFA, identifying phishing links.

Compliance Burden – The stringent requirements of the DPDP Act impose a heavy financial burden on small businesses.

Data Colonization – India generates 20% of global data, yet most of it is processed in offshore data centers

Addressing these challenges requires viewing cybersecurity not as a technical IT issue but as a National Security Priority that demands a “Whole-of-Society” response.