Published: January 26, 2021 2:14 PM IST
The Indian government could impose a permanent ban on 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, which were banned in India in June last year under section 69A of the Information Technology Act. According to a report in Mint, which quoted a person aware of the development, the Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology (MeitY) has issued fresh notices to the apps to impose a permanent ban on them in India. Also Read - Pakistan court orders Telecom authority to block TikTok in the country
Following the ban in June, the Indian government had sought responses from the banned companies, relating to the privacy and security of user data. “The government is not satisfied with the response/explanation given by these companies. Hence, the ban for these 59 apps is permanent now,” the person aware of the development told Mint. Further, according to the report, the notice was i
Cyber security is becoming big business. Here s why
Illustration by Raj Verma
Grocery is a boring, low-margin business. But that did not prevent cyber criminals from stealing data of 20 million customers of online grocer BigBasket and selling it for a staggering $40,000 or nearly Rs 30 lakh on the dark web. And that too non-financial data such as name, email ID, PIN, contact number, address, date of birth, location, IP address.
BigBasket had thankfully not stored customers financial data such as debit/credit card details. But companies and their customers are not always so fortunate. In 2016, security of close to 3.2 million debit cards issued by major banks, including SBI, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Yes Bank and Axis Bank, among others, was compromised. The breach, caused by a malware on an ATM network, resulted in not just financial loss to consumers and banks but also dented people s trust in digital banking.
Hacking activity increased during Coronavirus pandemic
Ever since the pandemic struck, the way criminals act has also changed. With this change, evolution is essential and India has equipped itself to better fend itself against modern-day crimes. Cybercrimes are at an all-time high and the Indian government has taken new measures to contain this new threat.
The Ministry of Home Affairs established the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) that defends the country against cybercrimes. Besides dealing with cybercrimes effectively, the I4C also helps create an ecosystem to bring together academia, industry, public and government in prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of cybercrimes.
Exclusive: Delhi Police has tools to extract data from smartphones, including iPhones Credit: Aditi Agrawal
At least one law enforcement agency in India Delhi Police has the tools to extract data from locked smartphones, including iPhones. However, the effectiveness and success rate of such tools remains under question.
There has been amplereportage about how American law enforcement agencies break into smartphones, especially iPhones, but the capabilities of their Indian counterparts have remained shrouded in mystery. The intrigue intensified after revelations that controversial Israeli cybersecurity firm NSO Group’s spyware was used to target at least 121 Indian citizens.
Tools available to the Delhi Police include tools from Israeli cybersecurity company Cellebrite such as UFED (Universal Forensic Extraction Device) Ultimate and Physical Analyzer that were famously used by FTI Consulting to suggest that Saudi Arabian Prince Mohammed Bin Salman had hacked into Jeff
Amid China Row, Centre Says May Blacklist Some Telecom Equipment Vendors
Amid China Row, Centre Says May Blacklist Some Telecom Equipment Vendors
New Delhi: Amid tension with China, the government today said it may blacklist certain telecom equipment vendors and designate companies as “India Trusted Source”.
The telecom sector may soon have a list of companies from where firms can buy products and service.
The decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security to “enhance security of telecom sector” by designating a trusted source, said Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.
“So there’s a trusted source and there’s a not trusted source,” the minister said.