Pankaj Sharma/ Zee Research Group
India is unable to secure its official websites raising a question mark over claims by the government that it had mounted efforts to tame the growing threat of violation of its digital persona.
According to the latest data there has been an alarming increase in cyber violations of official websites of Central and state governments over the last three years. The digital appearance of Indian government has come under severe pressure after 65 government websites were reported defaced in the month of September.
A Zee Research Group (ZRG) analysis of data maintained by the centralized Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), Department of Information Technology, under the Communications and Information Technology Ministry, revealed that out of a total of 6844 cyber defacements during the year as many as 196 government (gov.in) websites were violated. A maximum of 4502 cases of violation belonged to the ‘.in’ domain.
The CERT is the nodal agency for monitoring and prevention of cyber crime in the country. The government does not divulge details of websites violated. However, it is in public domain that many of government’s websites have come under the cyber hammer in the recent past.
These include the widely reported website violation case of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by ‘Pakistan Cyber Army’ in 2010. However, recently some pages of website of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and a website of Indian metrological department in Kolkata also reported defacement. The data analysis showed that the defacement of government websites was continually on the rise as the number of such cases grew from 92 in 2009 to 117 in 2010 and now 196 in 2011.
While officials at CERT refused to speak on the subject, experts blamed lack of knowledge base as a key reason for vulnerability of government websites.
Cyber expert Anup Girdhar pointed to the lack of understanding of ethical hacking among government officials as the main reason for the growing menace. He said, “Officials working with National Informatics Centre (NIC) conduct an audit before putting any website on their server, but due to less knowledge of ethically hacking systems, they have not yet succeeded in stopping such viruses.”
Ajay Goel, managing director, India and SAARC, antivirus company Symantec, considers defacement of large number of government website as a major issue. He said, “Growing Internet infrastructure, burgeoning broadband population and rampant piracy have made India a hub and a target for malicious activities.”
Girdhar argued for innovative methods to tame hackers. He suggested government hire the expertise to help nab the hackers as also prevent defacement. Goel admitted that there was a need to move on with new technologies to curb defacers. “As the threat landscape is shifting to a wide distribution of high impact threats, traditional methods of detection aren’t good enough,” he added. Symantec endorsed the threat perception for government websites.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.