Latest news with #Denialof
The Hindu
20-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Technopark-based AI platform claims to have thwarted cyberattacks during India-Pak stand-off
Prophaze Technologies, a leading cybersecurity company headquartered in the Technopark here, has claimed to have successfully neutralised a series of large-scale Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks targeting India's high-value installations during the recent stand-off with Pakistan. The AI-powered Web Application and API Protection (WAAP) platform by Prophaze, deployed across key sectors, played a vital role in countering cyberattacks aimed at disrupting major installations like airports and financial institutions, according to a statement issued by the Technopark on Tuesday. DDoS means disruption of the traffic of websites or networks with an overwhelming amount of Internet traffic, like traffic snarls. Between May 5 and 9, multiple waves of DDoS attacks were detected from globally distributed botnets with traffic volumes peaking at 85 million malicious requests within a 10-hour window on May 9, signalling a dramatic escalation in cyberthreats targeting India's critical infrastructure. Hacktivist groups such as AnonSec, Sylhet Gang (SG), and Dienet publicly claimed responsibility for attempting to take down Indian government services. Vaisakh T.R., CEO and founder, Prophaze, said, 'Despite the scale and aggression of these attacks, there was zero downtime. All systems remained operational - denying attackers the disruption they intended. The first wave hit late May 5, targeting a major Indian airport. Prophaze's threat intelligence team identified consistent track IP patterns and unusual behaviours in real time, spanning globally,' he is quoted saying in the statement. This was not the first time Prophaze safeguarded national infrastructure. In April 2023, large-scale DDoS attacks on six major Indian airports and hospitals were neutralised through Prophaze's intelligent Layer 7 mitigation systems, minimising disruption and restoring operations swiftly. Hacker group Anonymous Sudan had targeted the websites of major airports and hospitals, attempting to cause DDoS at these establishments. According to Lakshmi Das, COO & co-founder of Prophaze, this recent attack was significantly more intense than the campaign by Anonymous Sudan in 2023. Ms. Das said, 'We had already implemented proactive defences leveraging our deployments within the sector, giving us a strategic edge to respond instantly and effectively.' In this latest attack, geo-fencing, IP profiling, and behavioural analysis enabled the start-up to isolate and neutralise the latest threat in record time, the statement said. By identifying repeated fingerprinting patterns across globally distributed botnets and applying custom WAF rules with real-time anomaly detection, the platform halted the attack within hours, it said. While some regional spikes in traffic were observed across India, critical operations remained uninterrupted, especially at high-value digital entry points. Founded in 2019 and incubated by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), Prophaze began its journey by securing a cloud-based HR solution provided by a third-party vendor for Bank of America to meet strict compliance requirements. MS. Das said, 'Prophaze was the world's first cybersecurity product company to deliver a Kubernetes-based Web Application Firewall (WAF) to an enterprise to address real-world security threats. We've continued to push boundaries recognised as a Representative Vendor in Gartner's 2025 Market Guide for WAAP and earlier, in 2024, for API Protection as well.' The company has also built strategic partnerships with leading global technology players, including Keltron, Deloitte, and Intel. 'We aim to become India's first cybersecurity unicorn. Our mission is to build globally competitive, AI-driven security systems rooted in trust and precision,' she said. The startup has 100-plus clients across the world with a global presence in the US, Australia, West Asia, and beyond, the statement said.
Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
India-Pakistan tensions: Nirmala Sitharaman to chair meeting with banks, financial institutions on cyber readiness
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will chair a review meeting on cybersecurity preparedness of banks and financial institutions on Friday evening, amid heightened concerns that the country's critical infrastructure could be hit by cyber attacks amid the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan. Representatives from various public and private banks, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), NSE, BSE, and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (Cert-In), among others are expected to attend the meeting. Cert-In has been coordinating with various critical sector entities to ensure their cybersecurity preparedness. The development comes as the Pakistan Armed Forces launched multiple attacks using drones and other munitions along the entire Western Border of India on Thursday night while also resorting to numerous ceasefire fire violations (CFVs) along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Army said that the 'drone attacks were effectively repulsed and befitting reply was given to the CFVs'. The Pakistani escalation came a day after India carried out targeted strikes on nine sites in Pakistan and PoK. On May 7, The Indian Express had reported that following 'Operation Sindoor,' agencies and organisations which are in charge of India's critical infrastructure, such as the Power Ministry, financial institutions including banks, and telecom operators were asked to be on 'high alert' after having faced a number of cyber attacks following the Pahalgam terror attack last month. 'There have been some DDoS attacks on some infrastructure, but we have contained them. Now we are on high alert because such attempts will certainly be made,' a senior government official had said earlier. A DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack is a cyberattack where an attacker overwhelms a website, server, or network with malicious traffic from multiple sources, making it slow or inaccessible to legitimate users. The Indian Express had reported on Wednesday that soon after news about Operation Sindoor broke, social media platforms such as X were flooded with misinformation related to India's strikes on nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The ministries of IT and Information and Broadcasting sprung into action and decided that the government will dip into its legal powers of blocking any content or account they feel is propagating misinformation related to the strikes. On Thursday, social media platform X said that it received executive orders from the Indian government requiring the company to block over 8,000 accounts in India, including those belonging to 'international news organisations and prominent X users'. It said that falling foul of the executive orders could subject the company to potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment of its local employees. Soumyarendra Barik is Special Correspondent with The Indian Express and reports on the intersection of technology, policy and society. With over five years of newsroom experience, he has reported on issues of gig workers' rights, privacy, India's prevalent digital divide and a range of other policy interventions that impact big tech companies. He once also tailed a food delivery worker for over 12 hours to quantify the amount of money they make, and the pain they go through while doing so. In his free time, he likes to nerd about watches, Formula 1 and football. ... Read More Aanchal Magazine is Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and reports on the macro economy and fiscal policy, with a special focus on economic science, labour trends, taxation and revenue metrics. With over 13 years of newsroom experience, she has also reported in detail on macroeconomic data such as trends and policy actions related to inflation, GDP growth and fiscal arithmetic. Interested in the history of her homeland, Kashmir, she likes to read about its culture and tradition in her spare time, along with trying to map the journeys of displacement from there. ... Read More
Indian Express
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Govt acts on online misinformation on Operation Sindoor; power infra, banks on ‘high alert' over cyberthreats
The ministries of IT and Information and Broadcasting are 'constantly monitoring' content being uploaded to social media platforms for misleading content related to the aftermath of 'Operation Sindoor' to issue takedown orders, and have sensitised social media platforms to block any content that is unlawful, a senior government official told The Indian Express. Agencies and organisations which are in charge of India's critical infrastructure, such as the Power Ministry, financial institutions including banks, and telecom operators are also on 'high alert' after having faced a number of cyber attacks following the Pahalgam terror attack last month. 'There have been some DDoS attacks on some infrastructure, but we have contained them. Now we are on high alert because such attempts will certainly be made,' the official said. A DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack is a cyberattack where an attacker overwhelms a website, server, or network with malicious traffic from multiple sources, making it slow or inaccessible to legitimate users On Wednesday afternoon, during a meeting between officials from the two ministries, there was acknowledgement that social media platforms like X were flooded with misinformation related to India's strikes on nine sites hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). It was decided that since the situation was evolving with people making varied claims online, the government would have to closely monitor such content, and also dip into its legal arsenal of prohibiting such content from spreading. In times of uncertainty, online disinformation campaigns often act as a strategic ploy to capture the narrative war. Such campaigns—which have become routine now on social media platforms that have been unable to curb the sheer number of misleading content on their sites—have been used in previous and ongoing conflicts as well, such as the Israeli strikes on Gaza, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. From visuals of unrelated air strikes and incorrect claims of retaliation, to even footage lifted from video games — as India carried out Operation Sindoor in the early hours of Wednesday, social media platforms like X became the battleground for online disinformation campaigns in a bid to mislead people. The Press Information Bureau's (PIB's) fact check unit has fact checked several viral claims related to the airstrikes which were being made online. One such post contained a letter written by a scientist at DRDO about an alleged failure in BrahMos missile components. The fact check unit clarified that no such scientist works at DRDO and the letter is fake. Several old visuals showing a crashed aircraft were also circulating online with the claim that Pakistan recently shot down an Indian Rafale jet near Bahawalpur during the ongoing Operation Sindoor, which the PIB unit has deemed to be fake. The government has advised users of social media platforms to exercise restraint. 'Don't trust and share unverified information. Check official sources from the Government of India for accurate information,' the IT Ministry said in multiple posts on social media platform X. Post the Pahalgam terror attack, the government had banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including some leading channels such as Dawn News, Samaa TV, Ary News, and Geo News, for disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, and false and misleading narratives and misinformation against India, its Army and security agencies.
Arabian Post
05-05-2025
- Business
- Arabian Post
Radware Strengthens Global Cybersecurity Network with New Centres in Kenya and India
Radware, a NASDAQ-listed provider of application security and delivery solutions, has expanded its global cloud security infrastructure by establishing new service centres in Nairobi, Kenya, and in the Indian cities of Chennai and Mumbai. This strategic move aims to enhance the company's capacity to deliver advanced cybersecurity solutions, particularly in regions experiencing a surge in digital transformation and cyber threats. The newly inaugurated centres are part of Radware's broader initiative to bolster its cloud security services worldwide. By increasing its global network of cloud security service centres, Radware seeks to reduce traffic latency, improve service redundancy, and ensure compliance with data sovereignty requirements. The expansion also reflects the company's commitment to providing localized support and rapid response capabilities to its clients in Africa and Asia. In India, the establishment of centres in Chennai and Mumbai complements Radware's existing presence in the country, where it has been actively involved in cybersecurity research and development. The Indian centres are expected to play a crucial role in addressing the growing demand for cloud security solutions among enterprises, government agencies, and other organizations navigating the complexities of digital transformation. Similarly, the Nairobi centre marks Radware's first foray into East Africa, a region witnessing rapid digitalization across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, and education. By situating a service centre in Kenya's capital, Radware aims to provide tailored cybersecurity solutions that cater to the unique challenges and regulatory landscapes of African markets. Radware's cloud security services encompass a range of offerings, including Cloud DDoS Protection, Web Application Firewall , and Bot Manager services. These solutions are designed to safeguard organizations against a spectrum of cyber threats, such as Distributed Denial of Service attacks, malicious bots, and application-layer vulnerabilities. Leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning, Radware's security platforms offer real-time threat detection and automated mitigation, ensuring minimal disruption to legitimate traffic. See also Massive Power Disruptions Sweep Across Spain And Portugal The company's decision to expand its infrastructure aligns with the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks globally. According to industry reports, sectors such as aviation, finance, and healthcare have become prime targets for cybercriminals, necessitating robust and scalable security measures. Radware's enhanced global footprint positions it to respond more effectively to these evolving threats, providing clients with the tools and support needed to maintain operational resilience. In addition to infrastructure expansion, Radware has been actively forming strategic partnerships to extend its market reach. Collaborations with regional telecommunications providers and data centre operators have been instrumental in delivering integrated security solutions to a broader client base. These alliances facilitate the deployment of Radware's services within existing digital ecosystems, offering clients seamless and efficient access to advanced cybersecurity tools. The establishment of new service centres in Kenya and India underscores Radware's commitment to addressing the cybersecurity needs of emerging markets. By investing in local infrastructure and expertise, the company aims to foster stronger relationships with clients and stakeholders, ensuring that its solutions are attuned to regional requirements and challenges. This localized approach not only enhances service delivery but also contributes to the broader goal of building resilient digital infrastructures across diverse geographies.
