Keeping tabs: Centre mulls cybersecurity test for public CCTV buys

Railways seeks Niti Aayog intervention, citing national security

Amid rising digital security concerns, the Centre may be considering a proposal by the railways ministry to mandate cybersecurity testing for procurement of CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras by all government agencies, Business Standard has learnt.

NITI Aayog has been requested by the railways ministry to consider a proposal of mandatory cybersecurity clearances of cameras. It also sought a go-ahead for testing the associated software by the directorate of Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC), a statutory body under the ministry of electronics and information technology.

In a letter to the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Aayog, the ministry of railways has raised national security concerns over the lack of compliance with cybersecurity standards. The railways claimed that not a single original equipment manufacturer (OEM) has been granted STQC clearance so far.

“In this context, cybersecurity clearance is mandated by the railways, whereas it is not a necessity in other projects like city surveillance, smart cities, etc. Hence, OEMs are not giving priority for security clearance of their products,” the ministry said.

The railways is among the largest public sector procurers of CCTV cameras in the country, with its target to install the surveillance mechanism in 983 railway stations. For this, it is separately allocated a budget from the Nirbhaya fund.

The discourse on vulnerabilities in Internet-based video

surveillance systems had taken concrete shape in 2019. Then, Niti Aayog and railways had decided to procure cybersecurity-compliant CCTV cameras.

However, the lack of a clear mandate from the Centre rendered the implementation ineffective, despite the railways’ push.

Seeking the Aayog’s intervention, the railways said, “This will ensure overall security concerns in the country and will mandate camera OEMs to get their products complied with cybersecurity standards.”

The railways had been allocated ~500 crore for the installation of CCTV cameras across A1, A, B, and C class stations. The classification has been made on the basis of annual revenue generated through the stations. The national transporter expects the installation of these cameras to be completed by June this year.

Cybersecurity concerns through video surveillance systems recently echoed across the globe. In November 2022, the UK government had banned the use of CCTV cameras in government departments made by two Chinese firms over security concerns.

One of those firms, Hikvision, was also reportedly in the running for a contract by RailTel Corporation of India.

RailTel is a railway-owned undertaking, which has been tasked to execute the installation of these cameras.

China is one of the leading countries in surveillance technology.

And, rising tensions between the Indian and Chinese forces have led the Centre to have a harder look at the safety of its digital infrastructure.