MHA asks e-commerce companies to beef up cyber security

The Home Ministry has asked digital payment and e-commerce companies to beef up their cyber security mechanisms to prevent any attack from virtual world in the wake of surge in digital payments triggered by demonetisation.
Sources in the Home Ministry said that Information Technology Ministry and concerned agencies have been told to communicate the concerns of the government to the companies involved in e-commerce.
They said the threat of cyber attacks cannot be ignored especially when the government was asking people to adopt digital payments as a new way of life.
The sources said cyber security of many companies was still vulnerable which gives the hackers an opening to attack them.

They did not make it clear whether they have any specific intelligence input about a possible cyber attack or whether the missive was a routine cautionary exercise to the companies to upgrade their systems conveyed in an informal manner.
Deputy National Security Advisor Arvind Gupta had recently red-flagged the vulnerability of banking industry which has rapidly gone digital over the years.

In the recent past, he had said, several high profile attacks have taken place on the banks, "this is a worrying trend".
"Cyber security issues are now top of the national security agenda and such issues are given more importance than even the nuclear issues that used to top the international security agenda," Gupta had said.

He also asked the banking industry to be more forthcoming in sharing the incidents of financial security frauds and help in chalking out timely response.
"Now, with India going towards less cash economy, major thrust for the government is to promote digital transactions, banking industry must make a robust infrastructure so that digital transactions are secured," the Deputy NSA had said.