268 phishing incidents observed till May this year: Prasad

Over 260 phishing incidents were observed in the first five months of 2019 as per the information available with Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), Parliament was informed Wednesday.

As per the information reported to and tracked by CERT-In, 552 phishing incidents were observed during the year 2017, while in 2018, the number stood at 454, and in 2019 (till May) it was 268, Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

"With the innovation of technology and rise in usage of cyber space, cyber attacks such as phishing and identity theft are observed. Such phishing attacks are global phenomena which target users to trick them to divulge information such as online credentials," he added.

Prasad said the government has taken various steps to prevent such cyber security incidents and improve cyber safety in the country.

"CERT-In is working in coordination with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and banks to track and disable phishing websites," Prasad said adding that CERT-In issues alerts and advisories regarding latest cyber threats and counter-measures on regular basis to ensure safe usage of digital technologies.