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CYBER SECURITY AND SOCIAL MEDIA by ATRISHEKHAR - Coggle Diagram

- - - - These can be disaggregated into four baskets based on the perpetrators and their motives: Cyber
        Espionage, Cyber Crime, Cyber Terrorism, and Cyber Warfare.
        
        Cyber
        Terrorism
        
        Cyber-terrorism can also be as “the use of computer network tools to shut down critical national infrastructures (such
        as energy, transportation, government operations) or to coerce or intimidate a government or civilian population.
        
        Groups such as G-Force and Doctor Nuker have defaced or disrupted service to several major entities in India
        such as the Zee TV Network, The Indian Institute of Science and the Bhabha Atomic Research Center.
        
        Methods of Attacks Most popular weapon in cyber terrorism is the use of computer viruses and worms. Yet these
        attacks can be classified into three different categories
        
        Physical Attack:
        
        Using conventional methods like bombs, fire etc to harm the cyber infrastructure.
        
        Syntactic Attack:
        
        The computer infrastructure is damaged by modifying the logic of the system in order to introduce delay or make the system unpredictable. Computer viruses and Trojans, Ransomware are used
        
        Semantic Attack
        
        During the attack the information keyed in the system during entering and exiting the system is modified without the user’s knowledge in order to induce errors. Ex: - Data Diddling, Phishing,
        
        Pakistan
        
        According to a report of Black Lotus Labs, suggest that a Pakistan-based hacker targeted critical infrastructure of the power sector and one government organisation in India earlier this year
        
        China
        
        Red Echo & Shadow Pad
        
        Stone Panda had “identified gaps and vulnerabilities in the IT
        infrastructure and supply chain software of Bharat Biotech and the Serum Institute of India.
        
        CHINA'S " VACCUM CLEANER APPROACH" TO COLLECT SENSETIVE MASS DATA THROUH CHINESE COMMERCIAL ENTITIES LARGE AND SMALL
        
        it was found tha chinse commercil entites try to influence the minds,build economic control,acquisition of data ,for espionage and to target scientists to comparomise innovation and IPR
        
        Cyber
        Extremism
        
        Cyber extremism refers to using technology and the internet to promote and spread radical ideologies, often resulting in online harassment, hate speech, and violence.
        
        Cyber
        Warfare
        
        Cyber warfare involves units which are organized along nation-state boundaries, in offensive and defensive operations, using computers to attack other computers or networks through electronic means.
        
        Hackers and other individuals trained in software programming and exploiting the intricacies of computer networks are the primary executors of these attacks. These hostile actions against a computer system or network can take any form.
        
        The Snowden revelations have shown that cyberspace could become the theatre of warfare in the 21st Century.
        
        According to Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), cyber-attacks increased by 89 per cent in 2019.
        
        Cyber
        Espionage
        
        Using Stealthy Malware to penetrate military and corporate data servers in order to obtain plans and intelligence.
        
        Cyber
        Crime
        
        Child Pornography:
        
        Copyright Infringement:
        
        Misuse of social media in fanning intolerance, instigating tensions and inciting riots. Posting inflammatory material that tends to incite hate-crimes.
        
        Identity theft
        
        Women get trapped to be a victim of cybercrimes and the online podiums are now the new platform where a woman’s privacy, dignity and security is more and more being challenged every moment.through the use of technology.
        
        Financial Frauds:
      - THREAT TO CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEM
        
        for example -A malware infection in the IT network of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) located in Tamil Nadu was first reported in social media on October 28. 2022
        
        Critical Infrastructure describes the physical and cyber systems and assets that are so vital to a country that their incapacity or destruction would have a debilitating impact on national security and the economic and social welfare of a state
  - - - India which reported around 25 per cent of attacks last year has reported less than five per cent this year, the report found.
      - India also remains in third position in terms of threat actors’ priority in the Asia-Pacific region, followed by Korea and Taiwan
      - 40% of cyber security teams in Indian organisations understaffed: Report
    - - Implementing a robust cybersecurity strategy that includes various solutions like Firewalls, Network Security including Network Detection & Response and Network Forensics will be pivotal for businesses to keep their critical data and financial assets protected.
    - - The figure is projected to grow to over
        974 million users by 2025.
    - - important examples of cyber-attacks are: Union Bank Of India Heist (2016), Wannacry Ransomware (2017), Data Theft At Zomato (2017), PETYA Ransomware (2017),sand stone ,red echo shado panda (2020) etc
        
        In 2020, the agency recorded a staggering 11.58 lakh cyberattacks, a figure that surged to 14.02 lakhs in 2021, only to slightly dip to 13.91 lakhs in 2022.
        
        In 2022, CERT-In reported that ransomware attacks jumped 51% in the first half of the year.
        
        The average cost of a data breach in India reached ₹17.9 crore in 2023, an all-time high and almost 28% increase since 2020, according to IBM Security’s Cost of a Data Breach Report.
        
        Indian agencies have always been a soft target owing to lenient cybersecurity norms and access to a huge trove of data.
        
        Isro fights 100 cyber hacking bids daily: Space agency chief
        
        India is fifth most targeted nation, says Microsoft report
    - - Over 6.7 Lakh Cybersecurity Incidents Reported In India In The First Six Months Of 2022
      - • India has one of the highest numbers of cyber-attacks and the country ranks second in terms of targeted attacks. (Global Information Safety Report).
      - • The market size of cyber security in India was worth nearly about 10 billion U.S. dollars in 2021, reflecting a CAGR of about 40% over the last two years. With the growth in digital adoption, leading to increased online attacks, the market was further estimated to gross over 15 billion US dollars by the end of 2023.
      - • According to the recent National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, India reported an 11.8% jump in cybercrime in 2020.
      - • The cyberattack on Delhi AIIMS was the handiwork of unknown threat actors and caused due to improper network segmentation.
      - • The global average cost of a data breach in 2022 was 4.35 million U.S. dollars which is the highest in the healthcare sector.
  - - - It is a kind of fraudulent attempt that is made through email, to capture personal and financial nformation.
    - - Repeated use of electronic communications to harass or frighten someone.
    - - The victim is asked to pay the demanded ransom to get his device decrypted.
    - - It is when someone or something pretends to be something else in an attempt to gain our confidence,
    - - Worms are malicious programs that make copies of themselves again and again on the local drive,network shares, etc
    - - It is a destructive program that looks like a genuine application. Unlike viruses, Trojan horses do not replicate themselves but they can be just as destructive.
    - - Cybercrime officials in India have been tracking certain apps and websites that produce vulgar photographs of innocent persons using Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms.
        
        Social Impacts of Deepfakes
        
        Trust is essential for the adoption of technology because it ensures users feel secure and confident in using new innovations.
        
        Deepfakes erode trust by creating believable fake content that spreads rapidly on social media, causing severe harm.
        
        Women and children are frequent targets of deepfakes, facing significant psychological distress.
        
        Deepfakes can manipulate evidence, threatening the judiciary and leading to wrongful convictions.
        
        They undermine user-verification methods like facial recognition, critical for services in India.
        
        Deepfakes spread misinformation, impacting democratic processes. The World Economic Forum’s 2024 risk report highlights misinformation as a critical global risk.
        
        legal challenges related to deepfakes in India
        
        Sections 66D, 66E, 67, 67A, and 67B of the IT Act penalize impersonation and obscene material but do not fully address deepfakes.
        
        The Digital Personal Data Protection Act could be more effective if it included reputational loss in its definition of “loss.”
        
        Data fiduciaries are required to notify individuals of data breaches but need stricter measures like disabling private-media downloads.
        
        Rule 4(2) of the 2021 IT Guidelines mandates social media to identify originators of harmful content, but platforms like WhatsApp and Meta contest this, citing privacy concerns.
        
        The Anil Kapoor vs. Simply Life India case highlights privacy and publicity rights violations by deepfakes.
        
        manage deepfakes
        
        To manage deepfakes, we need clarity between what is real, fake, and really fake.
        
        We must address “context collapse” by knowing the source and context of information.
        
        Reducing “information overload” is crucial, as it allows thoughtful engagement with content. For example, we should seek information on our own terms, not rely on algorithms that prioritize profit and engagement.
        
        Community interventions, fact-checking, and technological solutions like deepfake detectors can help verify information.
        
        However, as long as we accept current social media dynamics, stopping deepfakes completely will be challenging.
    - - Catfishing refers to the practice of setting up fictitious online profiles most often for the purpose of luring another into a fraudulent romantic relationship.
    - - This is the most infamous attack among attacks on communication networks and most difficult to eliminate. The ease of attack and potentiality of damages make them an important threat that deserves special attention.
      - Distributed denial of services attack refers to a simultaneous attack on many systems which temporarily brings down the targeted website/system
    - - The repeated password attacks to identify user account passwords and creating a backdoor for future access.
    - - Automated systems have now made it easier for firms to achieve collusive outcomes without formal agreement or human interaction, thereby signalling anti-competitive behaviour.
    - - Increased Phishing Attacks: Phishing emails surged by 1,265% and credential theft rose by 967% since late 2022 due to AI.
      - Voice Cloning for Fraud: Hackers imitated a mother’s daughter’s voice to extort money, highlighting the risks of AI-based scams.
      - Enhanced Hacking Sophistication: AI helps hackers translate code, identify vulnerabilities, and amplify attacks.
      - Rising Attacks on Organizations: 75% of professionals reported more cyberattacks last year, while 85% linked the trend to AI.
      - Privacy Erosion: Voice-activated toys and biometric systems threaten individual privacy.
- - - - Digital signature has been replaced with electronic signature to make it a more technology neutral act.
      - It elaborates on offenses, penalties, and breaches. It outlines the Justice Dispensation Systems for cyber-crimes.
      - The Information Technology Act defines in a new section that a cybercafé is any facility from where the access to the internet is offered by any person in the ordinary course of business to the members of the public.
      - Offences under IT act 2000
        
        Section 43
        
        Data protection: laws and regulations that makes it illegal to store or share some type of information or share information about people without their knowledge or permission
        
        Section 66A
        
        Sending offensive messages, including attachments, through communications service
        
        Section 66 B
        
        Dishonestly receiving stolen computer resources
        
        Section 66
        
        Hacking of systems present over the network.
        
        Section 66 C
        
        Identity theft
        
        Section 66 E
        
        Violation of privacy
        
        Section 69
        
        Cyberterrorism
        
        Power to issue directions for interception/monitoring/decryption of any information through any computer source.
        
        Section 73
        
        Publishing electronic Signature certificate false in certain particulars.
        
        Section 79
        
        protect social media intermediaries by giving them immunity from legal prosecution for any content posted on their platforms.SAFE HARBOUR PROVISION
        
        Section 72A-
        
        Punishment for disclosure of information in breach of lawful contract
      - NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY POLICY 2013:
        
        Set up different bodies to tackle various levels of threats, along with a national nodal agency to coordinate all cybersecurity matters.
        
        Create a National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) and Create a workforce of around 500,000 trained in cyber security.
        
        To enhance the national and global cooperation among security agencies, CERTs, NCCC etc.
        
        Create a cyber-ecosystem in the country, developing effective public-private partnerships and collaborative engagements through technical and operational cooperation.
        
        Build indigenous security technologies through research.
        
        To develop bilateral and multilateral relationships in the area of cyber security with other countries.
        
        NATIONAL DIGITAL COMMUNICATION POLICY, 2018:
        
        A new NDCP-2018 was unveiled to replace the National Telecom Policy, 2012, to cater to the current needs of the digital communication sector.
        
        It aims to attract USD 100 billion worth of investments and generate 4 million jobs in the sector by 2022.
        
        The policy envisages 3 missions:
        
        Propel India:
        
        For enabling next generation technologies and services through investments, innovation and IPR generation.
        
        Secure India
        
        For ensuring sovereignty, safety and security of digital communications.
        
        Connect India:
        
        For creating a robust digital communications infrastructure.
        
        SRI KRISHNA COMMITTEE REPORT (2018)
        
        NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY STRATEGY 2020
        
        Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021.
        
        These rules have been framed in exercise of powers under section 87 (2) of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 and in supersession of the earlier Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules 2011
        
        The Supreme Court (SC) had observed in 2018 that the Government of India may frame necessary guidelines to eliminate child pornography, rape and gangrape imageries, videos and sites in content hosting platforms and other applications.
        
        The government brought video streaming over-the-top (OTT) platforms under the ambit of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
        
        DPDP ACT 2023
        
        4 more items...
        
        In case, due diligence is not followed by the intermediary, safe harbour provisions will not apply to them
        
        Intermediaries shall appoint a Grievance Officer to deal with complaints and share the name and contact details of such officers
        
        1 more item...
        
        Intermediaries shall remove or disable access within 24 hours of receipt of complaints of contents that exposes the private areas of individuals, show such individuals in full or partial nudity or in sexual act or is in the nature of impersonation including morphed images etc.
        
        1 more item...
        
        Need to appoint Chief Compliance Officer, a Nodal Contact Person and a Resident Grievance Officer, all of whom should be resident in India
        
        1 more item...
        
        Rules for News Publishers and OTT Platforms and DigitalMedia
        
        Self-Classification of Content:
        
        1 more item...
        
        Parental Lock
        
        Display Rating
        
        Amendments to the IT Rules, 2021
        
        3 more items...
        
        features
        
        9 more items...
        
        These new rules broadly deal with social media and over-the-top (OTT) platforms.
        
        To improve cyber awareness and cybersecurity through more stringent audits. Empanelled cyber auditors will look more carefully at the security features of organisations than are legally necessary now.
        
        There will be table-top cyber crisis management exercises regularly to reinforce the idea that cyber attacks can take place regularly.
        
        It does call for an index of cyber preparedness, and attendant monitoring of performance.
        
        A separate budget for cybersecurity is suggested, as also to synergise the role and functions of various agencies with the requisite domain knowledge
        
        SIGNIFICANCE
        
        • Large-scale digitization of public services:
        
        • Supply chain security
        
        • Increased Digital usage Post-Covid
        
        • Critical Information Infrastructure Protection,
        
        • Digital Payment
        
        • Recent Cyber Attacks
        
        • Protecting national security
        
        national security interests.
        
        • Promoting digital trust
        
        • International Cooperation:
        
        • Promoting Digital India
        
        The Srikrishna Committee Report is a significant Indian law document that analyses data protection and privacy issues. A
        committee led by retired Supreme Court judge Justice B.N. Srikrishna released the report on July 27, 2018. S
        
        recomends
        
        • Adoption of a comprehensive data protection law:
        
        The report recommends a comprehensive data protection law that follows global best practises and addresses Indian challenges.
        
        • Establishment of a Data Protection Authority:
        
        The report suggests establishing a Data Protection Authority (DPA) as an independent regulatory body to oversee data protection framework implementation and enforcement.
        
        • Protection of individual rights:
        
        The report recommends that the data protection framework grant individuals the right to access, rectification, erasure, data portability, and forgetting.
        
        • Transparency and accountability:
        
        The report recommends that organisations disclose their data processing activities and be held accountable for data protection violations.
        
        • Data localization:
        
        The report recommends that personal data that is collected and processed in India should be stored within the country, with certain exceptions.
        
        • Cross-border data transfers:
        
        The report suggests requiring explicit consent or binding corporate rules for crossborder data transfers.
        
        • Data protection impact assessments
        
        : The report recommends data protection impact assessments (DPIAs) to assess data processing risks and mitigate them.
        
        • Mandatory breach notification:
        
        The report recommends that organizations should be required to notify individuals and the DPA in the event of a data breach that is likely to result in harm.
        
        • Regulatory sandbox:
        
        The report recommends the establishment of a regulatory sandbox to allow organizations to test innovative data processing technologies in a controlled environment.
        
        • Amendments to other laws:
        
        The report recommends amendments to other laws, such as the Information Technology Act, of 2000, to ensure that they are in line with the data protection framework.
  - - - It aims to screen communications metadata coming into the country to detect real time cyber threats and work in close coordination with various law enforcement agencies It aims to screen communications metadata coming into the
        country to detect real time cyber threats and work in close coordination with various law enforcement agencies
    - - Established in 2004, CERT-In function under DIT
        CERT-In is India’s response to cyber threats and has following charter, mission and constituency.
        
        It is mandated under the IT Amendment Act, 2008 to serve as the national agency in charge of cyber security
        
        Since Nov 2012, DG of CERT-In is called the National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC)
        
        Recently, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has issued new guidelines for cyber incidents.
        
        (CERT-In) has mandated that:
        
        All cybersecurity incidents must be informed to it by the respective companies within six hours of either being made aware of the incident or becoming aware itself.
        
        Service providers, intermediaries, data centres, companies and government organisations enable logs of all their ICT systems and maintain them securely for a rolling period of 180 days.
        
        Maintain information
        
        Information retrieval
        
        Accurate information relating to customers/subscribers were not present.
        
        Mostly the information is either deleted or not stored at all.
        
        Proper maintenance or reporting of the data was missing.
        
        Personal data leakage has also been a troublesome issue. Some companies continued to ignore alerts by cyber security researchers and acted only after the data was made public.
        
        Users are not informed of the data breach and hence are not able to protect themselves from cyber crimes.
        
        Users are still unaware if their KYC (Know Your Customer) and financial data is safe or not.
        
        Incidents includes:
        
        Targeted scanning or probing of critical networks and systems,
        
        Compromise of critical systems and information,
        
        Unauthorised access of data and systems among others.
      - digital “nakabandi”
        
        CERT-In, along with CSIRT-Fin, has recently issued a whitepaper on Application Programming Inter- face (API) security. This should give a boost to digital nakabandi. It is the tactical term for access control and area domination by law enforcement authorities. This is particularly important in the backdrop of rising guerilla tactics employed by hackers and cyber-prowlers
    - - It is designated as the National Nodal
        Agency in respect of Critical Information Infrastructure Protection
        
        Exchange of knowledge and experiences with CERT-IN and other organisations is done in order to better coordinate.
    - - MeitY launched the Cyber Swachchta Kendra–Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre for analysis of malware and botnets that affect networks and systems.
    - - These have been established under
        newly created Cyber and Information Security (CIS) Division to tackle internet crimes such as cyber threats, child pornography and online stalking.
    - - Set up in 2004. Is a technical intelligence agency under the National Security Adviser in the Prime Minister's Office, India.
        It also includes National Institute of Cryptology Research and Development (NICRD)
    - - to entertain the cases of any person aggrieved by the Order made by the Controller of Certifying Authority or the Adjudicating Officer. It has been established by the Central Government in accordance with the provisions contained under Section 48(1) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.The body is quasi-judicial in nature.
    - - apex agency looking into the political, economic, energy and strategic security concerns of India and acts as the secretariat to the NIB
    - - NATGRID, an attached office of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), is the integrated intelligence grid which
        connects databases of core security agencies. It was proposed after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks
      - NATGRID will link 10 user agencies with certain databases that would be procured from 21 organisations. It will be available for various central agencies, on a case-to-case-basis
    - - It was launched in 2018 by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
        
        Cyber Surakshit Bharat initiative was conceptualized with the mission to spread awareness about cyber-crime and build capacities of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and frontline IT officials, across all government departments.
        
        The CISO training is the first-of-its-kind partnership between the Government and industry consortium under Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
    - - Objective
        
        The NM-ICPS is a comprehensive Mission which would address technology development, application development, human resource development & skill enhancement, entrepreneurship and start-up development in Cyber Physical System (CPS) and associated technologies.
        
        The Mission aims at establishment of 15 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIH), six Application Innovation Hubs (AIH) and four Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRP).
        
        These Hubs & TTRPs will connect to Academics, Industry, Central Ministries and State Government in developing solutions at reputed academic, R&D and other organizations across the country in a hub and spoke model.
        
        The Hubs & TTRPs have four focused areas along which the Mission implementation would proceed, namely:
        
        Technology Development,
        
        HRD & Skill Development,
        
        Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Start-ups Ecosystem Development, and
        
        International Collaborations.
    - - KAVACH-2023 is a joint initiative of the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the Bureau of Police
        Research and Development (BPR&D), launched in February 2021.
      - The aim of the initiative is to provide cybersecurity training to police personnel across India
      - Overall, KAVACH-2023 is a positive step towards improving the cybersecurity capabilities of police personnel in India
        and will help in the fight against cybercrime in the country.
    - - Centralised Suspect Registry: It is a centralised database of suspicious bank accounts and related persons. It will be securely accessible to banks, financial institutions, and law enforcement agencies.
      - Samanvaya Platform: It is a one-stop data repository for cybercrime, data sharing, crime mapping, analytics, cooperation, and coordination for law enforcement agencies (LEAs) across the country.
      - Cyber Fraud Mitigation Centre (CFMC): It serves as a “war room” to monitor high-priority cybercrime cases involving large financial transactions.
  - - - A dedicated cloud to digitize and automate processes, procedures and services similar to Meghraj for the Indian Army, launched as a part of Digital India
        
        In order to utilize and harness the benefits of Cloud Computing, Government of India embarked upon an ambitious initiative – “GI Cloud” which has been coined as ‘Meghraj’
    - - India along with other countries is undertaking mutual sharing of information and best-practices, both of which are critical in constructing a robust response to conspicuous cyber incidents.
        
        For example, India is working with the UK, USA, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan.
    - - Empanelment of security auditing organisations to support and audit implementation of Information security best practices.
    - - Training of 1.14 lakh persons through 52 institutions under the Information Security Education and Awareness Project (ISEA) a project to raise awareness and to provide research,education and training in the field of Information Technology.
    - - Recently, the Central government announced the plan to train and prepare 5,000 ‘Cyber Commandos’ over the next five years to tackle the rising cybercrime threats.
      - These cyber commandos will be trained in IT infrastructure security, digital forensics, and incident response.
- - - - A.P. Shah Committee report: This report recommended an overarching law to protect privacy and personal data in the private and public spheres.
      - Justice Srikrishna panel
      - Recently, TRAI announced that companies collecting user data have no primary rights over such data and emphasised that consumers' consent should be made mandatory. TRAI said it would like to see consumers being given the "Right to be Forgotten"(though denied twice by SC)
  - - - Budapest Convention on Cyber-Security
        
        It was opened for signature in Budapest, on 23 November 2001 and it entered into force on 1 July 2004.
        
        WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM CYBER RISK FRAMEWORK:
        
        SOME GLOBAL LAWS
        
        Five Eyes (FVEY) group of nations
        
        The origins of the Five Eyes alliance can be traced back to the Atlantic Charter, which was issued in August 1941 to lay out the Allied goals for the post-war world.
        
        The Five Eyes (FVEY) is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States
        
        India joins the UK in drive known as ‘Five Eyes’ group of nations, as a seventh member against encrypted social media messages.
        
        India-EU Maritime and Cyber Dialogues: Strengthening Security and Cooperation(3RD)
        
        During the dialogue, both parties reviewed their ongoing cooperative endeavors in the maritime sector and explored ways to fortify international and regional mechanisms for comprehensive maritime security.
        
        They exchanged perspectives on cyber policies, strategies, mutual interests, and explored avenues for cyber cooperation in international forums, including the United Nations, as well as regional settings such as OSCE, ARF, and G20.
        
        Australia: The Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act) is an Australian law which regulates the handling of personal information about individuals.
        
        USA: The US has sector specific data protection laws and regulations that work together with state-level legislation to safeguard American citizens’ data such as Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), NIST 800-171 etc.
        
        GDPR is a regulation in the European Union law on data protection and privacy in the European Union and the European Economic Area.
        
        WhatsApp is legally bound to not share data with Facebook in the European Region because it’s a contravention of the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
        
        Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2022
        
        BY WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
        
        o Recognition of interdependence: All parties have a shared interest in fostering a common, resilient digital ecosystem.
        
        o Role of leadership: Encourage executive-level awareness and leadership of cyber risk management.
        
        o Integrated risk management: Develop a practical and effective implementation programme that aligns with existing frameworks
        
        o Promote uptake: Encourage suppliers and customers alike to develop similar levels of awareness and commitment.
        
        India maintained its status as a non-member of the Europe-led Budapest Convention and it voted in favour of a Russian-led UN resolution to set up a separate convention.
        
        on the grounds that they did not participate in its drafting
        
        The Convention on Cybercrime, also known as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime is the first international treaty seeking to address Internet and cybercrime.
        
        It aims at harmonizing national laws, improving investigative techniques, and increasing cooperation among nations.
      - Data is stored in a physical space, like a file cabinet that can be the size of the Taj Mahal.
        
        Data is also transported across country borders physically, traveling through underwater cables that run as deep as Mount Everest and as long as four times the span of the Indian Ocean.
      - Thirdly, just as oil is refined, data has to be processed to be useful. This means it is analysed by computers.
        
        These aspects of data flows — where it is stored, where it is sent, where it is turned into something useful — determines who has access to the data, who profits off the data, who taxes the data, and who “owns” the data.
      - Srikrishna Committee Report
        
        Atleast one copy of personal data will need to be stored on servers located within India.
        
        Transfers outside the country will need to be subject to safeguards.
        
        Critical personal data will only be stored and processed in India.
      - Boycott of Osaka Track:
        
        At the G20 summit 2019, India boycotted the Osaka Track on the digital economy. The Osaka Track pushed hard for the creation of laws that would allow data flows between countries and the removal of data localization.
    - - India joined France, New Zealand, Canada and several other countries in launching a major initiative in Paris to combat terrorism and extremism online and to secure the internet.
    - - Provisions
        
        1) Objective-To improve the internal market’s functioning by laying down a uniform legal framework for use of artificial intelligence systems in the Union.
        
        2) Jurisdiction-It states that provisions will apply to AI providers for services in the European Union, irrespective of whether the providers are in the EU or in a third country.
        
        3) Restricted Activities-It prohibits certain AI practices that can distort the behavior of a person or a group of persons by impairing their ability to make an informed decision.
        
        4) Establishing Artificial Intelligence Board– There will be establishment of European Artificial Intelligence Board. The board will have representatives from member states and the Commission.
        
        Further, within each nation state a national supervisory authority will be tasked with monitoring the application and implementation of the new law.
        
        5) Imposition of fines-Fines will vary from 30 million euros or 6 per cent of the total worldwide annual turnover. Fines depend on the severity of the infringement.
        
        6) Time period-The new law will not come into force immediately. It gives AI developers and providers time to familiarize themselves with the regulations. The law will come into force in phases varying from six to 36 months (about 3 years).
      - unique about the act
        
        1) It explicitly bans “harmful AI practices” that are a “clear threat to people”. It also lists 4 harmful practices in the act.
        
        2) It seeks to regulate “high risk AI systems” that create “adverse impact on people’s safety or their fundamental rights.” The law has two kinds of high-risk AI systems.
        
        3) It regulates AI systems that present limited risk such as systems that interact with humans like chatbots, emotion recognition systems, and AI systems that manipulate image, audio or video (deepfakes). These systems would also be subject to a limited set of transparency obligations.
        
        4) It will provide ways to imagine the regulatory regime for AI to other countries.
  - - - Public non-personal data,
      - Community non-personal data
      - Private non-personal data
- - - - ● Analyse the demand and supply of skilled cybersecurity professionals in India,
      - ● Identify technical and social factors contributing to the shortage of skilled professionals, and
      - ● Explore solutions to address these gaps through CSR and a multi-stakeholder approach.
    - - ● Phishing, smishing, and vishing attacks expected to see substantial rise in near future.
      - ● Phishing scams trick users into divulging sensitive data, downloading malware, and exposing themselves or their organisations to cybercrime.
      - ● Smishing often involves sending bogus text messages - have a sense of urgency and request the recipient click on a link or reply with personal information.
      - ● Vishing (voice or VoIP phishing) uses voice and telephony technologies to trick targeted individuals into revealing sensitive data to unauthorized entities.
      - ● Zero-day attacks take place when hackers exploit the flaw before developers have a chance to address it.
    - - ● Use of AI, ML and IoT by hackers resulting in increasing Cybersecurity attacks,
      - ● Growing regulatory liabilities and
      - ● Excessive usage of digital platforms resulting in exchange of large amounts of data.
    - - India Ransomware Report 2022
        
        Major findings of the Report:
        
        The number of reported ransomware attacks in India in 2022 was 53% higher than in 2021
        
        Ransomware attacks targeted critical infrastructure organizations to disrupt services and extract ransom payments
        
        The IT/ITeS sector in India was the most impacted by ransomware attacks, followed by the finance and manufacturing sectors
        
        Lockbit was the most prevalent ransomware variant in India, followed by Makop and DJVU/Stop, Makop and Phobos; Vice Society and BlueSky were new variants
        
        The RaaS (Ransomware-as-a-service) ecosystem is becoming more prominent, allowing even non-technical individuals to launch ransomware attacks
        
        On average, the restoration time is about 10 days for infections in reasonably large infrastructure networks
        
        Organizations should regularly update their contingency plan; have higher cyber awareness among their employees
        
        Data gathering by public agencies picks up even as the law hangs fire
        
        Mob Lynchings and Fake News
        
        Fake news is news, stories or hoaxes created to deliberately misinform or deceive readers.
        Usually, these stories are created to either influence people’s views, push a political agenda or cause confusion and can often be a profitable business for online publishers. Ex: Muzaffarnagar
        riots of 2013: fake video fueled communal passions.
        
        Consequences of fake news
        
        Social media has led to a degradation of our political discourse where serious engagement has been supplanted by “hot takes” and memes.
        
        Misinformation and disinformation spread in media is becoming a serious social challenge. It is leading to the poisonous atmosphere on the web and causing riots and lynching on the road.
        
        Platforms for harmful conspiracy theories and hate speech
        
        In the age of the internet (WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter,) it is a serious problem as rumours, morphed images, click-baits, motivated stories, unverified information, planted stories for various interests spread easily among crores of internet users in India
        
        There have been many instances of online rumours leading to killings of innocent people.
        
        Fake news has also been used to deceive illiterate people financially. Example- Chit fund
        schemes introduced the concept of online fraud through spam emails.
        
        Fake news has reduced people’s belief in social, print and electronic media = affect the benefits of these media.
        
        AI: Threat or opportunity for cybersecurity
        
        Generative AI such as ChatGPT is used by cyber criminals to craft convincing phishing messages or launch a complex attack that is easily evaded by traditional defenses that a nescient user may have.
        
        Cyber threats leveraging AI include brute force, denial of service (DoS), AI-generated deepfakes, and social engineering attacks.
        
        For instance, nowadays, generative AI such as ChatGPT is used by cyber criminals to craft convincing phishing messages or launch a more complex attack that is easily evaded by traditional defenses that a nescient user may have.
        
        A recent report by cybersecurity firm Group-IB revealed that over 100,000 ChatGPT accounts have been compromised and their data is illegally traded on the dark web, with India alone accounting for 12,632 stolen credentials.
        
        In fact, as AI tools become cheaper and more accessible, the risks to cyber security associated with the technology is expected to increase.
        
        Data from cybersecurity firm CheckPoint Research shows that during the first quarter of 2023, India's average weekly attacks rose by 18% in comparison to the corresponding period in 2022, with each organisation facing an average of 2,108 weekly attacks per organization.
        
        Meanwhile, the number of bot attacks has also gone up by 48%
        
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        Experts have raised concerns about the trend of increasing the government’s efforts in data collection and monetization in the absence of a basic data protection regime.
        
        • Customs department mandating airlines to share personal details of international flyers,
        
        • Civil Aviation Ministry’s facial recognition system DigiYatra
        
        • MeitY’s proposal to share non-personal data collected by the government with start-ups and researchers
        
        • CERT-In’s mandate asks virtual private network (VPN) service providers to store data of their users
        
        • Department of Telecommunications (DoT) (2021): Telecom operators and internet service providers to maintain commercial and call detail records for at least two years (instead of 1year currently)
        
        Contact tracing app Aarogya Setu —and collected data like their names, phone numbers and location
        
        Instances of increasing efforts for Data Monetisation:
        
        IRCTC released a tender detailing its plans to monetise its bank of passenger data (including
        sensitive data such as mobile numbers, email, and passwords) for doing business with government and private entities. (now withdrawn)
        
        MeitY had floated a draft India Data Accessibility and Use Policy which proposed that data
        collected by the Centre that has “undergone value addition” can be sold in the open market for an “appropriate price”. (now withdrawn)
        
        The Ministry of Road Transport (2020): Bulk Data Sharing Policy, under which the ministry
        used to sell vehicle registration data (Vahan) and driving licence data (Sarathi) to private and public entities. (Now Scrapped)
        
        International Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI)
        
        • The International Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI) is a global coalition of governments, international organizations, and private sector companies that aims to combat the threat of ransomware attacks.
        
        • Launched in April 2021, the initiative is co-led by the United States and is supported by over 30 countries and organizations.
        
        • The CRI seeks to improve coordination and information sharing among its members, enhance prevention and protection measures, and promote the prosecution of ransomware criminals.
        
        The Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In) has reported that ransomware
        attacks are not only motivated by money but also by geopolitical conflicts.
      - Global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky warns of an increase in cyberattacks on Android and iOS
        devices in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region
      - Mobile banking Trojans are dangerous malware that can steal money from mobile users’ bank accounts by disguising the malicious application as a legitimate app to lure unsuspecting people into installing the malware.
      - The perpetrators infect the device through legitimate-looking and high-ranking
        malicious apps on Google Play, smishing (phishing messages sent through SMS)
      - Examples of threats:
        
        • Anubis mobile banking trojan virus: It has been targeting Android users since 2017.
        
        • Roaming Mantis is another prolific malware targeting mobile banking users.
        
        • BianLian Malware
      - Issues in regulation:
        
        • The lack of adequate cybersecurity and the dearth of talent in banking (technology,
        engineering, data and security experts) could potentially lead to a further rise in cyberattacks on user devices.
        
        Interoperability compounds problems: Countries are trying to make payments from one
        platform to other interoperable:
        
        China, for instance, has ordered its internet companies to offer their rival firms
        link and payment services on their platforms.
        
        India, a new law demands all licensed mobile payment platforms to be capable of
        providing interoperability between wallets.
        
        Apart from the usual digital hygiene practices like keeping the phone up-to-date and rebooting
        regularly, consumers can ensure they use their phones for banking only when the device is connected to a secure VPN.
        
        . iOS 16 users can turn on the Lockdown Mode as it limits the device’s
        functionality and protects it from any potential malware.
- - - - A case of extortion and cyber terrorism was registered by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police on November 25
    - - It is malicious software designed to block user access to computer systems in exchange for a ransom payment.
      - It was formerly known as “ABCD” ransomware, but it has since grown into a unique threat within the scope of extortion tools.
      - Recent reports emerged that for the first time, the LockBit Ransomware was found to be targeting Mac devices.