India and the US have inked an agreement to enhance cooperation in cybercrime investigations, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The signing of the pact comes days before the Biden administration hands over charge to the Trump administration. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Washington DC on Friday by Indian Ambassador Vinay Kwatra and Acting US Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Kristie Canegallo, the MEA said. It said the agreement allows the respective agencies of the two countries to step up the level of cooperation and training with respect to the use of cyber threat intelligence and digital forensics in criminal investigations. From India, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) of the Home Ministry is responsible for the execution of the MoU. On the US side, the DHS and its constituent agencies US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations Cyber Crimes Center are tasked with implementing the
The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a response from the Centre on a PIL alleging an "enormous rise" in cyber crimes and "nuisance" of unsolicited calls in the country. Observing government agencies were doing their bit, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar issued a notice to the Department of Telecommunications. "Yes, we understand the problem is there. Let the Centre respond, the bench said, noting the PIL of one Gowrishankar from Bengaluru. The plea sought a direction to telecom network operators to implement the calling name presentation service (CNAP). The service, which facilitates identification of the caller's name and is usually displayed in the caller ID section of the phone, may help recipients to make informed decisions about calls and combat spam calls.
A new cyber fraud known as "pig butchering scam" or "investment scam" has emerged, targeting unemployed youths, housewives, students, and needy people who are made to lose large sums of money daily, according to the latest annual report of the Union home ministry. The report said that cybercriminals have also been using Google services platforms to initiate these crimes. "Google Advertisement platform provides a convenient facility for targeted advertisement from across the border. This scam, known as 'Pig Butchering Scam' or 'Investment Scam' is a global phenomenon and involves large-scale money laundering and even cyber slavery," it said. The pig butchering scam, which is believed to have started in China in 2016, targets gullible individuals with whom cyber criminals build trust over time, ultimately convincing them to invest in cryptocurrency or some other lucrative scheme when their money is stolen. The analogy to pig butchering comes from the fattening of swine before their ..
The Legislative Yuan, is the highest legislative organ,which exercises legislative power on behalf of the people
The telecom department has ordered operators to play cyber crime awareness caller tune 8-10 times per day to telephone subscribers for three months. According to the order copy sent to the telecom operators, the caller tunes will be provided by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) -- a cyber crime wing under the Home Ministry. "In order to make the public aware about cybercrime through the caller tune campaign, it has been decided to play caller tune audios through pre-call announcement/ring back tone arrangement, which will be provided to TSPs by nodal officers of I4C. Caller tunes to a subscriber may be played about 8-10 times a day," the order dated December 18 said. The order asked telecom service providers (TSPs) to immediately take action on the order. "Different caller tunes related to cybercrime will be provided on a weekly basis for a period of three months," the order said. There has been a rise in the incidence of financial fraud through new scams like digita
At least 20 per cent of cybercrimes in India involve attackers using dark web, according to a report by cyber security firm Lisianthus. The dark web is a platform on the internet that can be accessed using special tools. It is usually very difficult to trace the identity and location of a dark web user. "At least 20 per cent of cybercrimes in India involve the usage of the dark web by online attackers," the study conducted by Lisianthus Tech said. The attackers used the dark web for cybercrimes like data breaches, hacking, phishing, ransomware, identity theft, sale and purchase of banned products like narcotics and weapons. The study is based on a detailed analysis of several cases of cybercrime reported across the country, said Khushhal Kaushik, founder and CEO of Lisianthus Tech. The study was conducted on a sampling basis over a period of two months which concluded last week, he said. "Study was completed using several samples of crime data taken from state police, National Cr
Scammers posed as Trai officials and used intimidation tactics to defraud the 25-year-old IIT Bombay student
For over a month, a housewife from Mumbai was placed under "digital custody" and defrauded of Rs 3.8 crore by scammers posing as law enforcement officers looking into a false money laundering case
As technology continues to advance, CTOs face the constant pressure of adopting cutting-edge solutions while adhering to stringent industry standards and safeguarding sensitive customer data
Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit 2024: Industry leaders discuss KYC, anti-fraud tech, and user education as essential defences against rising digital financial crime
Canada has for the first time named India in a list of cyberthreat adversaries, suggesting that state-sponsored actors could be spying against it. Amid an ongoing diplomatic row, India is named fifth after China, Russia, Iran and North Korea in the National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025-2026 (NCTA 2025-2026) report. We assess that Indian state-sponsored cyber threat actors likely conduct cyber threat activity against Government of Canada networks for the purpose of espionage, the report said. The development comes as the bilateral relationship has gone south since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a year ago that Canada had credible evidence that agents of the Indian government were involved in the murder of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June 2023, a charge dismissed as absurd by India. The NCTA 2025-2026 that highlights the cyber threats facing individuals and organisations in Canada was released on October 30 by the Canadian Centre for Cyber .
The Union Home Ministry has issued an alert against illegal payment gateways created by transnational gangs of cybercriminals using mule bank accounts and are being used for facilitating money laundering, officials said on Monday. The gateways are created by transnational cybercriminals who provide money laundering services using accounts of shell companies and individuals, exploiting the bulk payout facility provided by banks, it said. Police in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh recently conducted nationwide raids which showed that cybercriminals have set up illegal digital payment gateways using rented bank accounts for laundering the proceeds of different crimes. "Some of the payment gateways identified during the operation are PeacePay, RTX Pay, PoccoPay, RPPay etc. These gateways are learnt to be providing money laundering as a service and are operated by foreign nationals," a government statement said. When information gathered by the state police was analysed by the Indian Cybercri
India, the US, Australia and Japan have announced the continuation of 'Quad Cyber Challenge' with an aim to strengthen responsible cyber ecosystems, promote public resources, and raise cybersecurity awareness. The theme of this year's challenge is promoting cybersecurity education and building a strong workforce, the Quad countries said in a joint statement. In February 2023, the United States, together with its Quad partners Australia, India, and Japan, launched the 'Quad Cyber Challenge' to promote responsible cyber habits across their nations, regions, and beyond. In October with the objective of securing India's cyberspace, the National Cyber Security Coordinator of India will deliver a message on Cyber Swachhta Abhiyaan India's Cyber Hygiene Campaign to the student community highlighting the importance of cyber security as part of outreach during Cyber Security Awareness Month, the joint statement said. Eminent cyber security experts will undertake awareness workshops for ...
An employee of the Department of Atomic Energy was the victim of a digital arrest scam, losing Rs. 71 lakh to fraudsters
In a world increasingly reliant on technology, cybercriminals are misusing artificial intelligence (AI) to execute sophisticated attacks, posing significant threats to individuals and organisations alike, according to an expert. Recent high-profile data breach reports involving Star Health exemplify this alarming trend, highlighting the urgent need for upgraded cybersecurity measures. In a conversation with PTI, Sneha Katkar, Head of Strategy and Product Custodian for the cybersecurity firm Quick Heal's antivirus lineup, pointed out that the landscape of cybercrime has undergone significant evolution. "Cyber criminals today are not operating manually; they are using AI to automate attacks. They are using artificial intelligence to actually conduct these attacks. It's so sophisticated in nature that the best of the best fall prey to it," she noted. This automation allows them to bypass traditional security measures, making it challenging for even the most robust systems to defend ..
A hacking group tied to Russian intelligence tried to worm its way into the systems of dozens of Western think tanks, journalists and former military and intelligence officials, Microsoft and US authorities said Thursday. The group, known as Star Blizzard to cyberespionage experts, targeted its victims with emails that appeared to come from a trusted source a tactic known as spear phishing. In fact, the emails sought access to the victims' internal systems, as a way to steal information and disrupt their activities. Star Blizzard's actions were persistent and sophisticated, according to Microsoft, and the group often did detailed research on its targets before launching an attack. Star Blizzard also went after civil society groups, US companies, American military contractors and the Department of Energy, which oversees many nuclear programmes, the company said. On Thursday, a US court unsealed documents authorising Microsoft and the Department of Justice to seize more than 100 ...
In a multi-state crackdown on organised cybercrime, the CBI has arrested 26 alleged cybercriminals involved in fraudulent activities targeting people globally, officials said on Monday. The action under operation Chakra-III started with raids at 32 different places across Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Visakhapatnam late night last Thursday. The central agency has seized Rs 58.45 lakh cash, locker keys and three luxury vehicles, they said. Four call centres -- V.C. Inconformities Pvt. Ltd at Regent Plaza, Pune; V.C. Infrometrix Pvt. Ltd, Murli Nagar, Visakhapatnam; Viajex Solutions, Hyderabad; and Atriya Global Services Pvt. Ltd, Visakhapatnam -- were among the places raided by the agency. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) intercepted 170 people engaged in live online criminal activities across the four call centers, the officials said. "The cybercriminals targeted in this operation were involved in a range of illicit activities, including impersonating... tech support ...
Star Health has sued Telegram and a hacker for leaking sensitive data via chatbots on the platform, which has recently been under increased scanner for its policies
Rai was speaking at the Dikshant Parade of the 76th batch of Regular Recruits of IPS at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA) on Hyderabad outskirts
Union Home Minister Amit Shah Tuesday urged cybersecurity agencies to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to identify the modus operandi of criminals duping people of their hard-earned money, spreading fake news and abusing women and children online. India hosts around 46 per cent or almost half of global digital transactions, making the job of these agencies "challenging", he said while delivering a keynote speech during the first foundation day celebrations of the I4C or Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre here. The I4C, established in 2018, is a department under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It is tasked with establishing a national-level coordination centre to address all cybercrime-related issues in the country. During the event, Shah launched four platforms of the I4C -- cyber fraud mitigation centre (CFMC), the 'Samanvaya' platform, a cyber commandos programme and a suspect registry. "I would urge you to use Artificial Intelligence to identify the MO (modus operandi) .