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Defending Virtual Borders

• Internet has now become a weapon for political, military and

economic espionage.

• The conventional threats to national security now have a

digital delivery mechanism charecterised by spyware,

malware, trojans, botnets and conflicker worms.

• Although, there have been no true cyber wars till date, cyber

battles of great consequence are easy to find.

• Every nation now has a new border to safeguard and protect -

the Virtual Border or the Cyber Space.

Cyber Warfare

• Cyber warfare is the use of computer technologies as

both defensive and offensive weapons in international

relations.

• The debate over cyberwarfare is only now emerging

in the United States, the United Kingdom, and in the

foreign policy dialogue between the United States,

the Russian Federation, and other nations.

Estonia experienced a devastating cyber attack in 2007 following

a decision to move a statue memorializing Russian soldiers who

fought during World War II.

• . Pro-Russian hackers took down bank and school websites via

Denial of Service (DoS) attacks on Estonian networks.

In 2008, Georgia experienced similar DoS

attacks following its conflict with Russia.

In June 2009, the websites belonging to Iranian

news agencies, Presidendent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

and Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei were

knocked off-line employing Dos Attacks.

Cyber Warrior

• NATO has created a cyber defence facility in Estonia

codenamed K5.

• The US has established the „US Cyber Command‟ to defend

the country against cyber attacks.

• The United Kingdom created two Organisations namely - the

„Office of Cyber Security‟ and the „Cyber Security Operations

Center‟ to protect its cyber space from attacks.

• South Korea has set up its cyber warfare center and has

recruited 3000 security experts by now.

• Isreal too has an „Internet warfare‟ team dedicated to cyber

security.

Cyber Threats to India

Mumbai Terror Attacks

The Great Irony

• “It's the great irony of our Information Age --

the very technologies that empower us to

create and to build also empower those who

would disrupt and destroy. And this paradox -

- seen and unseen -- is something that we

experience every day.”

The Future Face of War !

• The police found four Global Positioning System

(GPS) handsets, one satellite phone, nine mobile

phones and computer discs with high-resolution

images and maps of the 10 sites that were attacked.

The terrorists used the Internet to make calls which

hampered the investigation.

• The terror group took credit for the bloodshed with a

series of e-mails to local media.

• They used a “remailer" service to mask their

identities; earlier attacks were claimed from cyber

cafes.

The next war will be in

cyberspace

• All political and military conflicts

now have a cyber dimension, the size

and impact of which are difficult to

predict !

Cyber Security for India

• We live in times of e-espionage, where nations and

hacking groups across the globe search for vital

information relating to intelligence, military or economic

policies. Therefore entrusting this huge responsibility to

CERT-India will not be in the best interest of the nation.

• A separate office designed in the model of the US or UK

is the best solution to this. The body has to be constituted

with experts in the field at the top management.

• The cyber threats call for such decisive steps. Half

hearted actions at this juncture will not deliver.

Cyber Security –An India

Centric Framework1. Cyber Security Policy

2. Create a cyber command

3. An independent office for cyber security

4. Encourage Research and Development in cyber

security

5. State‟s Liability for not protecting personal data

6. Strengthen the legal framework

7. Establish a „single window‟ for registering cyber

crimes

Continued…

8. Spread awareness about the seriousness of the cyber

security problems

9. Establish a Digital work force

10. Private – Public Partnership

11. Conduct „Cyber Exercises‟

12. Establish Cyber Wings for CBI and NSG

13.Establish a Chief Information Security Officer

(CISO) for every State

Conclusion

• The difference between cybercrime, cyber-espionage,

and cyber war is only a couple of keystrokes.

• The rapid spread of information and communication

technology will only magnify the threat of cyber

warfare in years to come.

13. Establish a Chief Information Security

Officer (CISO) for every State

Is India a heaven for

Cybercriminals ?