Lok Sabha Question No. 5512 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-04-05
Subject: Data Phishing Activities
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Raju Bista

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5512

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 05.04.2023

## DATA PHISHING ACTIVITIES

## 5512.  SHRI RAJU BISTA:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware of the hundreds of thousands of personal data mining and phishing activities being undertaken by the anti-social elements and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether any action has been taken to tackle this problem;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether there is recourse for victims of phishing activities especially those who are less technically sound like elderly citizens and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the list of resources that the citizens can use to prevent such phishing activities, Ministrywise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR)

(a) to (e):     The policies of the Government are aimed at ensuring an Open, Safe and Trusted and Accountable Internet for its users. Government is cognizant of growing threats to data security  on  account  of  activities  such  as  unauthorised  data-mining  and  phishing,  and  has taken a number of measures to safeguards against such threats, including the following:

- (i) The Ministry of Home Affairs has set up the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to deal with all types of cybercrime, including cybercrime against children, in a coordinated  and  comprehensive  manner.  A  toll-free  number  1930  has  been  made operational  for  citizens  to  get  assistance  in  lodging  online  complaints  in  their  own language.  The  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs  has  also  taken  several  steps  to  spread awareness on cybercrime, including through dissemination of messages on cybercrime through the Twitter handle @CyberDost and radio campaigns.
- (ii) The  Indian  Computer  Emergency  Response  Team  (CERT-In)  works  in  coordination with service providers, regulators and law enforcement  agencies to track and disable phishing websites and facilitate investigation of fraudulent activities.
- (iii) CERT-In  issues  alerts  and  advisories  on  an  ongoing  basis  regarding  latest  cyber threats/vulnerabilities and countermeasures to protect computers and networks. It also publishes  security  tips  for  users  to  secure  their  desktops,  mobile  phones  and  prevent phishing attacks.
- (iv) The  Ministry  of  Electronics  and  Information  Technology  conducts  programmes  to generate  information  security  awareness.  Specific  books,  videos  and  online  materials are developed for children, parents and general users, including elderly citizens, about information security, which are disseminated through portals such as www.infosecawareness.in and www.csk.gov.in.
- (v) CERT-In coordinates incident response measures with affected organisations, service providers,  sector  regulators  concern  and  law  enforcement  agencies.  It  also  notifies affected  organisations  of  cyber  incidents,  along  with  remedial  actions  to  be  taken  by them.
- (vi) CERT-In  operates  an  automated  cyber-threat  exchange  platform for proactively collecting, analysing and sharing tailored alerts with organisations for proactive threat mitigation actions by them.
- (vii) CERT-In operates the Cyber Swachhta Kendra (Botnet cleaning and malware analysis centre) to detect malicious programs and free tools to remove the same, and to provide cyber security tips and best practices for organisations.
- (viii) CERT-In  has  empanelled  150  security  auditing  organisations  to  support  and  audit implementation of information security best practices.
- (ix) A Cyber Crisis Management Plan has been formulated by CERT-In for implementation by all Ministries and Departments of the Central Government and State Governments and  their  organisations  and  critical  sectors,  to  help  counter  cyber-attacks  and  cyberterrorism.
- (x) CERT-In conducts regular training programmes for network and system administrators and Chief Information Security Officers of government  organisations regarding securing information technology infrastructure and mitigating cyber-attacks. 42 training programmes, covering 11,486 participants, have been conducted during the years 2021 and 2022.
- (xi) Government  websites  and  applications  are  audited  with  respect  to  cybersecurity  and compliance with the Guidelines for Indian Government Websites prior to their hosting. Such auditing is done after hosting as well.
- (xii) Cybersecurity mock drills are conducted to enable assessment of cybersecurity posture and preparedness of organisations in the government and critical sectors. 74 such drills have been conducted by CERT-In, covering 990 organisations from different States and sectors.
- (xiii) CERT-In and the Reserve Bank of India jointly carry out a cyber security awareness campaign  on  'beware  and  be  aware  of  financial  frauds'  through  the  Digital  India platform.
- (xiv) CERT-In  has  set  up  the  National  Cyber  Coordination  Centre  to  generate  situational awareness regarding existing and potential cyber security threats.

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