Cyber Attack: The country faces a major threat of cyber attacks, the center has formed a committee to prevent it, and by 2047, there will be annual attacks worth 17 lakh crore

Cyber Attack: With increasing dependence on digital platforms and cloud systems, and the growing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the world, including India, has become concerned about cyber security. According to a recent report by Prahara, an organization working on cyber security, cybercriminals may carry out around one lakh crore cyber attacks in the country by 2033. It is estimated that by 2047, when the country will be celebrating its centenary year of independence, there will be annual cyber attacks worth 17 lakh crore. Although efforts are being made globally to prevent this, they are insufficient.

In order to prevent the increasing cases of cybercrime and digital arrests, the Ministry of Home Affairs has set up a high-level committee. The internal security secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs is monitoring this committee. The 14C wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs has also contacted all state police departments. The Ministry’s 14C wing will monitor digital arrests on a case-by-case basis. A special campaign will be launched to curb digital arrests. Immediate action has been ordered to address digital arrests.

Expert’s Concern

Cyber security experts are expressing concern over the increasing cases of cyber attacks in India and are emphasizing the need for strong measures to address this problem. During the release of Prahara’s report, ‘The Invisible Hand’, cyber experts said that if a solution is not found, Indians will become helpless. In recent days, Prime Minister Modi has advised people to be cautious about ‘digital arrests’ and has given the mantra of ‘stop-think-act’ to avoid cyber fraud.

Government takes action:

Over 6,000 digital arrest cases

• According to the report, more than 7.9 crore cyber attacks were carried out in the country in 2023. This has led to a 15% increase in such cases compared to the previous year, ranking India third globally in terms of cyber attacks.
• This year, more than 6,000 complaints of digital arrests have been registered. The cyber wing has blocked six lakh mobile phones so far, all of which were used in cyber fraud and digital arrests.
• The 14C wing has blocked 709 mobile applications so far. One lakh 10 thousand IMEI numbers involved in cyber fraud have also been blocked, and 3.25 lakh fake bank accounts have been frozen.

Global campaign underway:

Server of world’s largest malware platform shut down

• The European Union has said that the server of one of the world’s largest malware platforms, which was targeting millions of people, has been shut down. This platform had more than 1,200 servers operating in dozens of countries.
• Cybercriminals stole data from devices infected with this malware. The stolen data included names, passwords, addresses, email addresses, and crypto-currency wallets, all of which were automatically saved.
• Officials said that the data thieves sold the information to other criminals on the grey market. The buyers used this data to steal money, crypto-currency, and to carry out hacking.

Two types of cybercriminals

1- Traditional fraudsters who take advantage of system vulnerabilities for financial gain or to cause disruption, and engage in small-time fraud.
2- More sophisticated criminals who use threats to force people to engage in anti-national activities. The risk of this is higher on illegal betting apps.