CERT-In reports over 62,000 cyber attacks till May 2014: Govt

Government's cyber security arm Computer Emergency Response Team-India (CERT-In) reported 62,189 cyber security incidents in the first five months of the current calendar year, Parliament was informed today.
Similarly, the government body reported that 9,174 Indian websites were hacked by groups spread across the world, Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.
"During the years 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 (till May), a total number of 21,699, 27,605, 28,481 and 9,174 Indian websites were hacked by various hacker groups spread across worldwide. In addition, during these years, a total number of 13,301, 22,060, 71,780 and 62,189 security incidents, respectively, were reported to the CERT-In," Prasad added.

These incidents include phishing, scanning, spam, malicious code and website intrusions, the Minister said.
Prasad told the House that there have been attempts from time to time to launch cyber attacks on Indian cyber space.
"These attacks have been observed to be originating from the cyber space of a number of countries including the US, Europe, Brazil, Turkey, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Algeria and the UAE," he added.

It has been observed that the attackers compromise computer systems located in different parts of the world and user masquerading techniques and hidden servers to hide the identity of the actual system from which the attacks are being launched, Prasad said.

"Cyber space is virtual, borderless and anonymous due to which it becomes difficult to actually trace the origin of a cyber attack," the Minister added.
In a separate query in the House, Prasad said with the increase in the proliferation of IT and related services there is a rise in the number of cyber crime and cyber security incidents. The trend in increase in cyber crime incidents is similar to that worldwide.
"As per the cyber crime data maintained by National Cyber Records Bureau, a total of 1,791, 2,876 and 4,356 cyber crime cases were registered under Information Technology Act during the year 2011, 2012 and 1013, respectively, thereby showing an increasing trend," he added.

A total of 422, 601 and 1,337 cases were registered under cyber crime related sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) during the year 2011, 2012 and 2013, respectively, he said.