Latest news with #NationalInformaticsCentre
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
India saw over 10 cr cyber attacks since Pahalgam terror strike: PM told top official
NEW DELHI: There were over 10 crore cyber attacks since the Pahalgam terror strike, PM Narendra Modi is learnt to have told ministers and secretaries on Wednesday while asking every department and officer to be on alert and take quick measures. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The PM's message came weeks after the National Informatics Centre (NIC) asked ministries and departments to take preventive steps against cyber attacks. 'He suggested that there is a need to be alert and make efforts at every level to defeat such attacks in the changed method of warfare. Departments and officials need to act quickly rather than leaving it only to the NIC,' a source said. During the council of ministers meeting, Modi directed ministries and department heads to focus on aspirational districts and blocks and instruct their officers to spend at least 24 hours there. He also suggested that some share of MGNREGS funds should be for works to conserve water and said the focus for the next four years would be on 'qualitative improvement' to meet people's aspirations. Officials who attended the meeting said Modi stressed on making infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and police stations, 'world class'. 'The PM said people backed him during demonetisation, Covid-19 pandemic and gave up benefits under the subsidised LPG connection scheme, indicating citizens appreciate good work. He said programmes and projects must be outcome oriented and of high quality,' a source said. Modi also stressed on the need to pay attention to public grievances and addressing them. PM shared how in PMO, 32 officers were identified and each of them read out the complete contents of 10 complaints. grievances were read out completely. 'The message was we need to give full attention to grievances and must not dismiss them quickly,' said an official.
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Time of India
Hyderabad begins survey to combat encroachment of govt land; revenue officials to map each parcel
Hyderabad: A comprehensive survey of govt land is being undertaken by the Hyderabad district administration with the aim to protect it as well to use the details to fix responsibility on revenue officials. The exercise involves revenue authorities taking photographs of about 1,138 land parcels, covering 400 acres of govt open land, and uploading them along with the geo-coordinates on a dedicated govt website. "Earlier, if there was any encroachment, there was a chance that tehsildars or other revenue staff would say the encroachment happened earlier. Now, they cannot escape their responsibility. If they fail to protect the land, they will be held responsible and liable for any action," a senior district official said. The district administration has roped in the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to prepare a special software to put the land details, along with geo-coordinates and maps, on the website.. "We will be completing the survey of govt land parcels in Hyderabad district soon. This will enable us to understand the status of land and protect them in future," Hyderabad collector Anudeep Durishetty told TOI. Official sources said the revenue teams, including tehsildars, surveyors, and revenue inspectors have been asked to visit each land parcel in their jurisdiction and check/fix the boundaries. They will have to visit these land parcels subsequently to ensure they are not encroached A large area (260 land parcels) worth thousands of crores is in Shaikpet mandal which includes upmarket areas such as Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills and Nanakramguda. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Kickstart your new journey with the Honda Shine 125 Honda Learn More Undo There have been multiples instances in Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills where attempts were made to grab govt land, including parks, but these were stopped by the district administration and GHMC. Apart from Shaikpet, there are 130 land parcesl in Golconda, 127 in Asifnagar and 113 in Khairtabad. The lowest number of land parcels is in Ameerpet (22). Officials said this exercise would allow the govt to know the exact status of land. There is a huge demand for govt land, and many departments have been asking the administration to allot it for construction of offices or for other public purposes such as sub-stations or parks.
Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: 15K e-Shram card holders in city miss out on free ration
Even as the Supreme Court mandated the inclusion of e-Shram card holders in the Public Distribution System (PDS) and directed states to issue ration cards to them for free ration, nearly 15,000 such workers in Ludhiana district remain excluded from the ongoing quarterly wheat distribution. According to officials of the food supply department, these beneficiaries had completed their e-KYC and were verified to receive 15 kg of wheat per person for three months, to be distributed in May. To meet the anticipated demand, the department had also procured an additional 2,250.3 quintals of wheat during the recent procurement season. However, when ration distribution began on May 16 across the district, the names of these beneficiaries were missing from the updated beneficiary list in the e-Point of Sale (e-PoS) machines managed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). As a result, despite being verified and having received ration cards, these workers were turned away from fair price shops. This gap persists despite a Supreme Court order issued on October 3, 2023, that directed states and Union Territories to integrate nearly 8 crore migrant and unorganised workers registered on the e-Shram portal into the food security net across the country. The apex court had then instructed states to issue ration cards and ensure their e-KYC is completed simultaneously, as reiterated in the Union government's affidavit filed on February 12, 2024. Officials from the food supply department in Ludhiana confirmed that the data of registered e-Shram workers was shared with the food department in May 2024. After this, area-wise surveys were conducted using Aadhaar and UAN details, with the assistance of ration depot holders, to complete the e-KYC of these workers. 'Despite these directives, ration cards issued after the last quarterly cycle are yet to be reflected in the NIC's e-PoS system,' they added. Depot holders are also bearing the brunt of the confusion.'These e-Shram card holders were supposed to get wheat this season. However, their names are still not visible on the e-PoS machines. In the past five days, I have turned away 47 such beneficiaries despite their e-KYC being completed,' said Karamjit Singh Arechha, national assistant secretary and state president of the All-India Fair Price Shop Dealers Federation. Acknowledging the issue, Sartaj Singh Cheema, district food supplies controller (Ludhiana West) stated, 'This is a statewide issue. The NIC has uploaded the data from the last quarter, which excludes recently verified e-Shram beneficiaries. We have already procured the extra wheat and issued ration cards to these individuals. The matter has been escalated to higher authorities. The moment data is updated; they will get their due.'
Hindustan Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Maha school education dept to undertake major staff mapping drive
In a bid to instil discipline and accountability among teaching and non-teaching staff, the state school education department will undertake a mapping of all sanctioned positions and corresponding salaries in government and aided schools across the state, with a strict timeline set for completion. The education department will map all teaching and non-teaching staff positions based on sanctioned posts approved under the 'Sanction Structure' and match these with salary records in the 'Shalarth' portal, which is the official system used for processing school staff payments. This data compilation is expected to be completed by the end of June 2025. As per the information shared by the education department, the process is being implemented to prevent irregularities such as payments to unauthorised or bogus staff and to ensure that only valid, sanctioned positions receive government funding. Strict action, including withholding of salaries, will be taken against teachers and schools delaying or neglecting the data submission. Official directives have already been issued Monday to all government, fully- and partially- aided secondary schools to begin the mapping process. Responsibility for accurate submission of data has been placed on school heads and principals. The mapping will utilise the Application Programming Interface (API) provided by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to cross-check the information in the Sanction Structure with that in the Shalarth portal, ensuring data synchronisation and validity. According to the latest notification issued by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, schools will not be allowed to process salary payments beyond the highest sanctioned position listed in the Sanction Structure. Technical adjustments are being made in the Shalarth system to enforce this restriction. Importantly, the directive mentions that higher secondary schools must upload a PDF copy of their Sanction Structure mapping before releasing July salaries in August. Failure to do so will result in non-disbursement of staff salaries, the department has warned. This move is being seen as part of a broader push by the state government to eliminate misuse of public funds and increase transparency in the management of school staff and resources. The initiative is also expected to bring accountability among school managements and curb the influence of politically-backed illegal appointments. 'We are taking a data-driven approach to ensure that only legitimate employees are drawing salaries from government funds. The mapping of posts and salary systems will bring transparency and accountability at every level. Schools must cooperate fully; this is not just a financial audit, it's a structural reform,' said a senior education officer on condition of anonymity.
Mint
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Mint Explainer: The truth behind Pakistan-linked cyberattacks on India
India's Operation Sindoor that targeted Pakistani terror camps triggered a wave of disinformation campaigns and claims of cyberattacks on India by Pakistani hackers. But the claims may not hold much water, say security firms. Consider this. On Friday, a day before a ceasefire between India and Pakistan was announced, the Indian Press Information Bureau debunked a viral post that claimed ATMs across India would shut down due to a ransomware attack. The bureau simultaneously dismissed another claim that a video titled 'Dance of the Hillary' was a virus that would wipe all data on mobile phones. Pakistan-linked hackers claim they have launched more than 100 cyberattacks on Indian government, education, and infrastructure websites so far in May. However, a detailed analysis by security firm CloudSEK reveals many of these claims to be 'exaggerated or entirely fabricated". Data breaches have been reported in key government platforms, including that of the ministries of defence and external affairs, and the Election Commission of India. Digital public services such as UMANG, Digital Police, and the National Informatics Centre, too, were allegedly compromised, along with the Indian President and Prime Minister's top administrative websites. Judicial systems also allegedly faced disruptions, as did the education sector with cyberattacks on the digital platforms of universities, medical institutions, and testing agencies. The digital infrastructure of the Indian Railways, India Post, RailTel Corporation of India, and major banks like Punjab National Bank and Indian Overseas Bank, were also targeted. However, according to CloudSEK, the data breaches often involved outdated or publicly available information, while distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and defacement attempts 'caused negligible disruption—some lasting barely five minutes". (In a DDoS attack, cybercriminals flood a server with internet traffic to prevent users from accessing connected online services and sites.) Mint explains the authenticity of the claims and the real cyber threats India faces. Also read | Operation Sindoor: India on high alert for cyber attacks Did Pakistan-linked cyberattacks on India cause any major damage? Pakistan-linked hacker groups such as Nation Of Saviors, KAL EGY 319, and SYLHET GANG-SG have claimed high-profile hits on India, including cyberattacks on the digital platforms of the Election Commission and the Prime Minister's Office. But CloudSEK's investigations show minimal impact: the Election Commission data breach was a repackaged 2023 leak, and the National Informatics Centre breach was limited to marketing files. Even coordinated DDoS attacks on government platforms resulted in barely noticeable outages. Consider these examples. On 8 May, Team Azrael–Angel Of Death claimed it breached the Election Commission's digital platform, allegedly exposing over a million citizen records. However, verification revealed that the data—though containing real personally identifiable information such as names, ages, phone numbers, and addresses—was originally leaked in 2023. This reflects a common hacker tactic: repackaging old data to simulate a fresh, high-impact breach, according to CloudSEK. Team Azrael's claim appears aimed more at generating alarm and publicity than signaling a new compromise of India's democratic institutions, CloudSEK added. On 8-9 May, KAL EGY 319 claimed a widespread defacement campaign targeting about 40 Indian educational and medical websites, followed by a shift to new targets. However, investigation showed all named websites were operational, indicating that the attacks were either not carried out as claimed or had little real impact. Similarly, SYLHET GANG-SG and DieNet claimed to have exfiltrated more than 247 GB of data from India's National Informatics Centre. However, analysis of a 1.5 GB sample shared as 'proof" revealed only publicly available marketing content and media files, indicating the claim to be largely unsubstantiated and lacking evidence of compromised sensitive data. Also read | Cyberattacks fresh in mind, India raises grid security after Pahalgam So are there no major cyberthreats to India? While the noise from Pakistan-linked hacker groups has been mostly superficial, advanced persistent threats (APTs)—sophisticated, sustained cyberattacks by hackers that have managed to establish an undetected presence in a network—underscore the real risks, according to security firms. APT36, also known as Transparent Tribe or Mythic Leopard, is a Pakistan-linked cyber espionage group active since at least 2013. It primarily targets Indian military, government, and defence-related sectors, often using spear-phishing emails laced with malware disguised as official documents—such as fake Indian Army recruitment forms or covid-19 advisories. The group's main tool is the Crimson RAT (Remote Access Trojan), which enables surveillance through file theft, screen capture, and keystroke logging. APT36, according to CloudSEK, used the Crimson RAT malware to infiltrate Indian defense systems following the Pahalgam terror attack last month. The malware had been delivered via phishing emails disguised as official government documents. Once installed, Crimson RAT allowed attackers to capture screenshots, exfiltrate sensitive data, and maintain long-term access, according to CloudSEK. Security firm Check Point Research, too, has been tracking the persistent use of ElizaRAT, a custom implant deployed by APT36 in targeted attacks on high-profile entities in India. To deploy the Crimson RAT malware, APT36 used spoofed domains resembling Indian government websites and a payload masked as an image file to evade detection, targeting government and defense networks with precision. APT36 has also deployed Android malware, including CapraRAT, via fake dating and chat apps to infiltrate mobile devices of military personnel and activists. Considered highly dangerous due to its persistent and stealthy operations, APT36 adapts quickly, refining its tactics and reusing infrastructure to avoid detection. CloudSEK's report also flagged that Pakistan-linked accounts like P@kistanCyberForce and CyberLegendX (@cyber4982) were spreading unverified cyberattack claims, often tied to events like Operation Sindoor. Targets included Bharti Airtel and the Manohar Parrikar Institute, though evidence of real damage is lacking. Top 5 Pakistan-linked hacker groups Nation of Saviors: 32 claimed attacks Claimed disruptions across digital platforms of Indian central and state government departments, financial institutions, and educational bodies. High-profile targets included India's Central Bureau of Investigation, Election Commission of India, and National Portal of India. KAL EGY 319: 31 claimed attacks Focused on defacing the websites of Indian colleges, universities, and healthcare institutions. Claimed about 40 websites compromised in a widespread campaign. SYLHET GANG-SG: 19 claimed attacksTargeted Indian government websites, media outlets, and educational institutions. Notable claims included a data breach of the Andhra Pradesh High Court and theNational Informatics Centre. Lực Lượng Đặc Biệt Quân Đội Điện Tử & affiliates: 18 claimed attacks Concentrated on Indian courts and government services. Judicial and law enforcement websites, including district and high courts, were key targets. Vulture: 16 claimed attacksFocused on Indian government and educational sites. Claimed hits on the websites of the Digital Police, President of India, and the Prime Minister's Office. Often involved in joint hacking operations. Does this mean all is hunky-dory? As geopolitical tensions rise, India finds itself on the brink of an evolving cyberwar with Pakistan. Recent attacks, including the breach of Pakistan's Habib Bank by the Indian Cyber Force and retaliatory phishing campaigns by Pakistan-linked APT36, as cited above, signal a new threat to India's critical digital infrastructure. India's financial systems are on high alert. BSE and NSE recently restricted overseas access to their websites in a rare preemptive move, hinting at credible cyber threats. These measures reflect broader vulnerabilities in India's digital ecosystem—ranging from legacy systems to inconsistent cyber hygiene across institutions. Yet, India lacks a publicly defined doctrine for cyber retaliation, unlike the US and China. India relies heavily on regulatory defenses via the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the Reserve Bank of India's frameworks, and mandates from the Securities and Exchange Board of India, though smaller financial institutions remain exposed. With rising hacker activity, espionage, and digital subversion, India's cyber defense remains reactive and fragmented. Experts argue that a transparent, coordinated national cyber strategy—defensive and offensive—is now a strategic necessity. Is India ready for the next digital war? The answer may depend on how quickly it can bridge the policy-practice gap.
