Page 2 - Cyber Security

FM asks banks to stay alert, says financial system remains robust

Finance Minister asks banks to ensure uninterrupted banking, cyber vigilance and ATM cash flow amid India-Pakistan tensions; insurers told to speed up claim settlements

India has a key role in global cybersecurity, says Germany's Maria Adebahr

Maria Adebahr, Director for Cyber, Foreign and Security Policy at Germany's Federal Foreign Office, praised India's strategic importance in the evolving digital landscape

Govt sets up seven joint cyber coordination teams to handle cyber crimes

The Centre has constituted seven joint cyber coordination teams for enhance coordination among different law enforcement agencies dealing with cyber crimes and cyber crime hotspots, Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday. Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar also said that the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), which functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has proactively identified and blocked more than 3,962 Skype IDs and 83,668 WhatsApp accounts used for digital arrest. He said the law enforcement agencies have blocked over 7.81 lakh SIM cards and 2,08,469 IMEIs linked to digital frauds till February 28 this year. The International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) is a unique number assigned to every phone. Seven joint cyber coordination teams have been constituted for Mewat, Jamtara, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Vishakhapatnam and Guwahati under I4C covering the whole country based upon cyber crime hotspots/areas having multi jurisdictional ..

Cyber incidents: IRDAI asks insurers to empanel forensic experts in advance

Regulator Irdai on Wednesday directed insurers to empanel forensic auditor in advance so that they could conduct forensics and root cause analysis of cyber incidents without any delay. In a circular, which has come in the wake rising incidents of data breach, Insurance Regulagtory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) said that in today's digital age, any cyber incident and crisis poses significant threats to organisations. Therefore, it is crucial to be prepared to respond effectively to prevent or minimise damage to information assets, including customer data and ensure business continuity. In 2023, the regulator had issued Irdai Information and Cyber Security Guidelines regarding cyber incident or crisis preparedness. "In addition..., all regulated entities are required to establish a well-defined procedure/practice to ensure that the forensic auditor/s are empanelled in advance and can be onboarded to conduct forensics and root cause analysis of cyber incident/s without an

Over 2,800 Chinese involved in telecom fraud cases in Myanmar repatriated

Over 2,800 Chinese telecom fraud suspects who were part of gangs luring locals and foreigners to work in telecom scam centres along the Myanmar-Thailand border have been repatriated to China for trials. A total of 2,876 Chinese telecom fraud suspects have been repatriated from Myawaddy in Myanmar to China following a joint crackdown launched by China, Myanmar and Thailand, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security said on Friday. The mass repatriation marks a significant achievement in the joint operation between China, Myanmar and Thailand launched on February 20, and is a powerful deterrent to foreign criminal gangs, the ministry said. Last month, a Chinese court sentenced four key figures involved in cross-border telecom fraud cases to life imprisonment as part of its stepped-up crackdown against the gangs luring locals and foreigners to work in scam centres along the Myanmar-Thailand border. Earlier in February, hundreds of people from 20 nationalities, including Indians, who wer

Indian IT leaders confident of cyber resilience despite failures: Study

Most IT leaders are confident about their cybersecurity resilience measures, even though a significant number of Indian organisations have experienced cybersecurity failures in the past 12 months, a study has found, showing a disconnect between perception and reality. According to a study by cloud security firm Zscaler, 67 per cent of Indian organisations experienced a cybersecurity failure in the past 12 months. However, a surprising 97 per cent of Indian IT leaders believe their current cyber resilience measures are effective. Further, the study revealed a critical gap: while confidence is high, actual preparedness for modern cyberattacks, especially those leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI), is lagging. The report indicates that although 57 per cent of Indian IT leaders acknowledge cyber resilience as a top priority for their leadership, this recognition isn't translating into adequate funding or proactive strategies. This lack of tangible support is further compounded by th

6,046 cyber criminals arrested with help of 'Pratibimb' module: Govt

The 'Pratibimb' module, launched by the Union Home Ministry's Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which tracks the locations of criminals, has led to the arrest of 6,046 accused, 17,185 linkages, and 36,296 cyber investigation assistance requests, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. In response to a question, Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar said a coordination platform for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), called 'Samanvaya', has been launched for cybercrime data sharing and analytics. It provides analytics based on interstate linkages of crimes and criminals involved in cybercrime complaints across various States/UTs, he said. "The module 'Pratibimb' maps the locations of criminals and crime infrastructure on a map to give visibility to jurisdictional officers. The module also facilitates the seeking and receiving of techno-legal assistance by Law Enforcement Agencies from I4C and other SMEs. It has led to the arrest of 6,046 accused, 17,185 ...

Investment in information security likely to grow 16.4% in 2025: Gartner

Building on the momentum from the previous year, security services is projected to record the highest growth among all segments, with an expected 19 per cent increase in 2025

Cyber fraud cases in India surged 4-fold in FY24, causing $20 mn in losses

Cyber literacy has lagged, leaving people vulnerable to fraud, with scammers impersonating officials or using AI to dupe unsuspecting people online

Quantum technology has risks of strategic blind spots: NITI Aayog

NITI Aayog announced the launch of Frontier Tech Hub which will accelerate India's transition into a frontier tech nation

Maharashtra sets up facility to fight cybercrimes, announces helpline

'Cyber corporation' in Navi Mumbai will work as the state's headquarters against cybercrime: Devendra Fadnavis

India strategic market, growing biz in digital native space: Check Point

India is a strategic market for Check Point Software Technologies Ltd and the company is growing its business in the digital native space, a top official of the Israel-based firm said. Check Point Software Technologies Asia Pacific and Japan President Ruma Balasubramanian further said education institutions and health care institutions face the most cyber attacks in India. "India is a very, very strategic market for us. And today we look after some of the most highly regarded organisations in India in the financial services space, in the public sector space, in the IT services space," she told PTI in an interview. Balasubramanian also said as the threat landscape gets more and more complex, Check Point Software Technologies is growing its business in the digital native space. "And you are going to see a lot more from us in that market," she added. Digital native refers to an environment where individuals grow up with readily available digital technology like computers and smartphon

Marking out multidimensional technology risks world faces in 2025

Weaponisation of biotechnology, sophisticated cyberattacks and the cost of investing in security are among challenges this year

TAC Security's founder urges Centre to prioritise cybersecurity in Budget

Cybersecurity vulnerability management company TAC Security founder Trishneet Arora sought from the Centre actionable steps in the upcoming Union Budget to enhance the country's cybersecurity framework. In a statement, Arora stressed the importance of creating a secure, resilient, and innovative cyber ecosystem that not only safeguards India's expanding digital economy but also positions the nation as a hub for global cybersecurity innovation. Suggesting measures to strengthen the country's cybersecurity landscape, Arora sought Rs 500 crore for the next three years to fund nationwide cybersecurity education and awareness initiatives. "This includes collaborating with top institutions like IITs, NITs, and other specialized centers to create a steady pipeline of industry-ready cybersecurity talent. Programmes will focus on hands-on training, research, and developing practical skills to equip young professionals to meet the growing demand in the cybersecurity sector," he said. He also

Country can't rely on foreign cyber security resources: IT Secretary

India cannot afford to take cyber security resources even from friendly nations as it will be a threat to security and sovereignty of the nation, a senior government official said on Thursday. During a roundtable with start-ups organised by Start-up Policy Forum, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity), Secretary S Krishnan said that the funding of start-ups especially in growth and later stage is crucial for entities in deep-tech space like cyber security. "There is a crucial story, especially in something like cyber security. The crucial story is that you have to have an independent resource within the country. You can't afford not to have it. This is not something where you can actually take it from other countries. It becomes a threat to our own sovereignty," Krishnan said. He was talking about the challenges that the government faced while financing start-ups and the need for the alignment of support with the state's strategic requirements. "It (importing cy

Biden admin rushes to finish cybersecurity order after China hacks

Among the measures, it directs the government to implement "strong identity authentication and encryption" across communications, according to an undated draft

India ranked second in attacks by threat actors in 2024, shows data

Globally, manufacturing, construction and real estate, healthcare, tech and telecom, and financial services were the top affected sectors

Rs 9 cr frozen, 2 cr returned to victims in West Delhi cyber fraud case

Approximately Rs 9 crore was frozen in Delhi in connection with cyber frauds, with around Rs 2 crore released back to the victims in west district in 2024, an official said on Friday. "These efforts are part of an ongoing initiative to protect the public from cyber criminals, who exploit digital platforms for fraudulent activities," Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vichitra Veer said. The officer further said the West district cyber police station has been operational since December 2021, securing victims' funds. Sharing details, the DCP said in 2024, the cyber police station resolved around 8,000 complaints. "During the entire year, 93 individuals were arrested or apprehended, with 22 from earlier cases and 71 from new incidents registered in 2024 alone," said the DCP. He said one of the key highlights of the year was the freezing of Rs 9.12 crore in fraudulent transactions. Victims of cyber crimes were also provided with guidance on how to apply for the release of their sto

India second most targeted nation in terms of cyberattacks: CloudSEK

India emerged as the second most targeted nation in terms of cyber attacks in the world as 95 Indian entities came under data theft attacks in 2024, cyber intelligence firm CloudSEK said in a report. According to the company's ThreatLandscape Report 2024 based on data monitoring in dark web, the US was the most targeted country, with 140 attacks, due to its economic dominance and digital infrastructure followed by India where data of 95 entities were attacked in 2024. "India: Rapid digitization exposed 95 entities, making it the second most attacked nation," the report said. Israel was on the third spot where 57 entities faced attacks due to geopolitical tensions. "The threat actors impacted various sectors in India, with the finance and banking sectors experiencing the highest number of victims at 20. This was followed by the government sector with 13 victims, telecommunications with 12, and the healthcare and pharma and education sectors with 10 and 9 victims, respectively," the .

Raise awareness about cyber frauds, identify mule accounts: RBI report

A Reserve Bank report on Monday stressed increasing awareness about cyber frauds and efforts to identify mule accounts amid rising digital transactions. With the rise in digital transactions, the incidents of cyber frauds using novel modus operandi have increased in recent times, the December edition of the Financial Stability Report (FSR) released by the RBI said. "Considering the fact that the financial losses and emotional distress caused by these frauds are substantial, it is imperative that Regulated Entities (REs) undertake wide-scale preventive awareness initiatives to caution the public about such frauds and intensify efforts to identify mule accounts," it said. According to the RBI's Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India 2023-24, the number of bank frauds witnessed a significant year-on-year increase in the first half of the current fiscal to 18,461 cases and the amount involved jumped more than eight-fold to Rs 21,367 crore. The number of frauds during ...