Indian officials see cyber threats from Wassenaar arrangement

An inter-ministerial panel has expressed apprehension about changes in the list of software items that a group of 41 nations like the US and the UK can export to non-member countries like India.
About 41 countries are member of the Wassenaar Arrangement under which a list is prepared of security products whose export should be controlled to non-member countries like India that are not leading producers of security products including ammunitions.
The member of the inter-ministerial panel formed on Wassenaar arrangement and ICT technologies in its meeting last month stated that member countries of this agreement especially United States may not provide solution to loopholes in software products that may lead to various kind of cyber threats.

Sources said in meeting Indian cyber security watchdog's CERT-In official stated that changes in the list have been made after US agency NSA's contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed about cyber snooping strategy of US.
The agency apprehended that many cyber security solutions may not be provided to India.
CERT-In said that some softwares supplied to India are tweaked which become prone to hacking. India was given a solution of the 'Heart Bleed' malware, which impacted security of softwares, by vendors after a year of its discovery.
Software companies under the product sale agreement are bound to provide solution of any vulnerability found in their product(s) immediately after detection.

Sources said Ministry of External Affairs was of the view that high technology items are always an issue for the US but India could influence the decision by seeking membership of the Wassenaar Arrangement.