Indian Computer Emergency Response Team

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Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)
CERT-In 2023.png
Agency overview
Formed19 January 2004;20 years ago (2004-01-19) [1] [2]
Headquarters New Delhi, India [3]
28°35′11″N77°14′22″E / 28.58639°N 77.23944°E / 28.58639; 77.23944
MottoHandling Cyber Security Incidents
Agency executive
  • Dr. Sanjay Bahl, Director General [4]
Parent department Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
Website सर्ट-इन.भारत , www.cert-in.org.in , www.सीएसके.सरकार.भारत , www.csk.gov.in

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In or ICERT) is an office within the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of the Government of India. [3] It is the nodal agency to deal with cyber security incidents. It strengthens security-related defence of the Indian Internet domain.

Contents

Background

CERT-In was formed in 2004 by the Government of India under Information Technology Act, 2000 Section (70B) under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. CERT-In is a functional organisation of Ministry of Electronics and Information, Govt. of India, with an objective of securing Indian cyber space.

CERT-In is an acronym for 'Indian Computer Emergency Response Team'.

CERT-In is the National Incident Response Centre for major computer security incidents in its constituency i.e. Indian cyber community.

CERT-In's primary role is to raise security awareness among Indian cyber community and to provide technical assistance and advise them to help them recover from computer security incidents.

CERT-In provides technical advice to System Administrators and users to respond to computer security incidents. It also identifies trends in intruder activity, works with other similar institutions & organisations to resolve major security issues, and disseminates information to the Indian cyber community.

CERT-In also enlightens its constituents about the security awareness and best practices for various systems; networks by publishing advisories, guidelines and other technical document

CERT-In's vision is to proactively contribution in securing India's cyber space and building safe and trusted cyber ecosystem for the citizen. Its mission is to enhance the security of India's Communications and Information Infrastructure through proactive action and effective collaboration.

Functions

In December 2013, CERT-In reported there was a rise in cyber attacks on Government organisations like banking and finance, oil and gas and emergency services. It issued a list of security guidelines to all critical departments. [5] It liaisons with the Office of National Cyber Security Coordinator, National Security Council and National Information Board in terms of the nation's cyber security and threats. As a nodal entity, India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) plays a crucial role under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology(MeitY).

Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) launched "Cyber Swachhta Kendra" / "साइबर स्वच्छता केन्द्र" (Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre) on 21 February 2017 as part of the Government of India’s Digital India initiative under MeitY. Cyber Swachhta Kendra (CSK) is a citizen centric service provided by CERT-In, which extends the vision of Swachh Bharat to the Cyber Space. CSK aims to secure India’s digital IT Infrastructure by creating a dedicated mechanism for providing timely information about Botnet/Malware threats to the victim organization/user and suggesting remedial actions to be taken by the concerned entity. The Centre has been established for detection of compromised systems in India and to notify, enable cleaning and securing systems of end users to prevent further malware infections. The centre is working in close coordination and collaboration with Internet Service Providers, Academia and Industry. The centre is providing detection of malicious programs and free tools to remove the same for common users. Website : ( www.सीएसके.सरकार.भारत , www.csk.gov.in )

September 2022, CERT-In hosted exercise 'Synergy' in collaboration with Cyber Security Agency, Singapore. It had a participation of 13 countries and was conducted as a part of the International Counter Ransomware Initiative-Resilience Working Group. [6]

Agreements

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in May 2016 between the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and the Ministry of Cabinet Office, UK.

Earlier CERT-In signed MoUs with similar organisations in about seven countries - Korea, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Uzbekistan.

The Ministry of External Affairs has also signed MoU with Cyber Security as one of the areas of cooperation with Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. With the MoUs, participating countries can exchange technical information on Cyber attacks, respond to cybersecurity incidents and find solutions to counter the cyber attacks. They can also exchange information on prevalent cyber security policies and best practices. The MoUs helps to strengthen the cyber space of signing countries, capacity building and improving the relationship between them. [7]

Incidents and reports

In March 2014, CERT-In reported a critical flaw in Android Jelly Bean's VPN implementation. [8]

In July 2020, CERT-In warned Google Chrome users to immediately upgrade to the new Chrome browser version 84.0.4147.89. Multiple vulnerabilities that could allow access to hackers were reported. [9]

In April 2021, issued a "high severity" rating advisory on the vulnerability detected on WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business for Android prior to v2.21.4.18 and WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business for iOS prior to v2.21.32. [10]

According to the agency, India faced 11.5 million cyberattack incidents in 2021 including corporate attacks, and attacks on critical infrastructure and government agencies. [11]

December 4 2022, CERT-In was called in to investigate the cyber attack on All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi.

Guidelines

The CERT-IN issues guidelines on cybersecurity and critical vulnerabilities, from time to time. In April 2022, the CERT-IN issued a set of directions requiring certain cyber security measures to be undertaken by companies [12] , including the following:

Subsequently, the CERT-IN issued certain FAQs [15] which clarified and relaxed some of the aforesaid requirements.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer security</span> Protection of computer systems from information disclosure, theft or damage

Computer security, cybersecurity, digital security, or information technology security is the protection of computer systems and networks from attacks by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, theft of, or damage to hardware, software, or data, as well as from the disruption or misdirection of the services they provide.

The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) is an organization within the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Specifically, US-CERT is a branch of the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications' (CS&C) National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC).

The Korea Internet & Security Agency is the Ministry of Science and ICT's sub-organization dealing with the allocation and maintenance of South Korea's IPv4/IPv6 address space, Autonomous System Numbers, and the .kr country code top-level domain (ccTLD), and also responsible for the cybersecurity of the Internet within South Korea, and runs the Korea Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center, a.k.a. KrCERT/CC, for the private sector of the country. Other roles include but are not limited to, the promotion of safe Internet usage and Internet culture, detecting and analyzing malware/viruses on the web, privacy protection, operating root CA, education on Internet and cybersecurity, and various other cybersecurity issues.

A computer emergency response team (CERT) is an expert group that handles computer security incidents. Alternative names for such groups include cyber emergency response team, computer emergency readiness team, and computer security incident response team (CSIRT). A more modern representation of the CSIRT acronym is Cyber Security Incident Response Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet police</span> Term describing governmental and official involvement in cyber policing

Internet police is a generic term for police and government agencies, departments and other organizations in charge of policing the Internet in a number of countries. The major purposes of Internet police, depending on the state, are fighting cybercrime, as well as censorship and propaganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macau Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre</span>

Macau Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (MOCERT) is managed by Macau New Technologies Incubator Centre in providing Macau with computer security incident handling information, promoting information security awareness, as well as coordinating computer security incident response for the public and local enterprises.

The National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC) is an operational cybersecurity and e-surveillance agency in India. It is intended to screen communication metadata and co-ordinate the intelligence gathering activities of other agencies. Some have expressed concern that the body could encroach on Indian citizens' privacy and civil-liberties, given the lack of explicit privacy laws in the country.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to computer security:

Cyber threat intelligence (CTI) is knowledge, skills and experience-based information concerning the occurrence and assessment of both cyber and physical threats and threat actors that is intended to help mitigate potential attacks and harmful events occurring in cyberspace. Cyber threat intelligence sources include open source intelligence, social media intelligence, human Intelligence, technical intelligence, device log files, forensically acquired data or intelligence from the internet traffic and data derived for the deep and dark web.

National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) is an organisation of the Government of India created under Section 70A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (amended 2008), through a gazette notification on 16 January 2014. Based in New Delhi, India, it is designated as the National Nodal Agency in terms of Critical Information Infrastructure Protection. It is a unit of the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) and therefore comes under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

The 2019 cyberattacks on Sri Lanka were a series of powerful cyberattacks on at least 10 Sri Lankan domestic websites with the public domains of .lk and .com. The cyberattack is speculated to have been conducted on 18 and 19 May 2019, the day following the Vesak festival and amid the persistent temporary social media ban in the country. The website of the Kuwaiti Embassy operating in Sri Lanka was also affected by the cyberattacks. The investigations are currently carried out by Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team along with Sri Lanka Signals Corps.

AusCERT is a non-profit organisation founded in 1993 that provides advice, education and solutions to cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities.

Internet security awareness or Cyber security awareness refers to how much end-users know about the cyber security threats their networks face, the risks they introduce and mitigating security best practices to guide their behavior. End users are considered the weakest link and the primary vulnerability within a network. Since end-users are a major vulnerability, technical means to improve security are not enough. Organizations could also seek to reduce the risk of the human element. This could be accomplished by providing security best practice guidance for end users' awareness of cyber security. Employees could be taught about common threats and how to avoid or mitigate them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basque Cybersecurity Centre</span>

The Basque Cybersecurity Centre (BCSC) is the organization appointed by the Basque Government to promote cybersecurity in the Basque Country. It is made up of departments of the Basque Government and technology centres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TR-CERT</span>

TR-CERT is an organization within the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) which is the national regulatory authority of the Turkish electronic communication sector. It is responsible for the analysis and risk mitigation of large-scale cyber threats and vulnerabilities, communicating information regarding malicious cyber activities or possible vulnerabilities to computer security incident response teams (CSIRT) and the public.

Brunei Computer Emergency Response Team, commonly known as BruCERT, is a computer emergency response team and national cybersecurity organization of Brunei Darussalam. Affiliated with the OIC Computer Emergency Response Team, the Asia Pacific CERT (APCERT), Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) and other international organizations in the information technology sector, it is tasked with preventing, analysing, and maintaining cybersecurity in addition to serving as a national research centre for IT infrastructure in the country.

Azerbaijan Computer Emergency Response Team, officially known as Azerbaijan Government CERT, is a computer emergency response team of the Republic of Azerbaijan responsible for cybersecurity and gathering data concerning information technology. It operates under the Special Communication and Information Security State Service of the government of Azerbaijan. It collects data within its framework from relevant sources, including internet users, computer engineering groups, individuals or organizations and software developers. It coordinates with the foreign countries for gathering and analysing data from cybersecurity incidents involving both software and hardware tools designed for the prevention of internet and computer security.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladesh e-Government Computer Incident Response Team</span> National cybersecurity agency of Bangladesh

The Bangladesh e-Government Computer Incident Response Team is the state-run agency of the government of Bangladesh responsible for maintaining cybersecurity in the country. Works under the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, it is the national computer emergency response team (CERT) with prim focus on receiving and reviewing, and responding to cybersecurity incidents in the country.

The Guidelines for Indian Government Websites (GIGW) are a set of guidelines developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in

Pakistan Computer Emergency Response Team (PKCERT) is a national initiative aimed at strengthening cyber security in Pakistan. PKCERT was established to counter the growing cyber threats and hacking attempts targeting various public sector entities.

References

  1. ↑ "techtarget.in". Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  2. ↑ "first.org- About CERT-In" . Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  3. 1 2 "meity.gov.in -- CERT-In" . Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  4. ↑ "Who's who". Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology . Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  5. ↑ "As cyber attacks rise, government sounds alert". The Hindu. New Delhi, India. 26 December 2013.
  6. ↑ "CERT-In hosts Cyber Security Exercise "Synergy" for 13 countries as part of International Counter Ransomware Initiative- Resilience Working Group". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  7. ↑ "Cabinet apprised of MoU between CERT-In India and CERT-UK".
  8. ↑ "Android's Jelly Bean, Kit Kat under cyber threat in India: CERT-In". NDTV. New Delhi, India. 2 March 2014.
  9. ↑ IANS (21 July 2020). "Update your Google Chrome browser now to avoid hackers, says CERT-In". Business Standard India. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  10. ↑ "WhatsApp Users Warned of Flaw That Could Leak Their Personal Data". NDTV Gadgets 360. 19 April 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  11. ↑ "US cybersecurity provider SentinelOne opens India office in Bengaluru". The Hindu . 15 June 2022.
  12. ↑ "CERT-In issues directions relating to information security practices, procedure, prevention, response and reporting of cyber incidents for Safe & Trusted Internet". www.pib.gov.in. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  13. ↑ Sameer Avasarala, Prashant Phillips. "Analyzing the new CERT-IN Directions: Wider gamut than breach reporting". lakshmisri.com. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  14. ↑ Sengupta, Arun Prabhu, Arpita (24 May 2022). "The Cert-In Cyber Security Directions: More Questions Than Answers?". India Corporate Law. Retrieved 7 June 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ "Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) releases FAQs to address queries on Cyber Security Directions of 28.04.2022". www.pib.gov.in. Retrieved 7 June 2024.


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