Cybercrime

Context: According to a report from Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) around 50% of cybercrime complaints received on the national cybercrime helpline every day have their origin in China and pockets of Cambodia and Myanmar.

Cybercrime

• It is characterized as a criminal activity in which a computer serves as either the target or the instrument for committing an offense.
• In accordance with the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India, cybercrimes are categorized as State subjects.
• This category encompasses illicit or unauthorized actions that leverage technology to perpetrate diverse forms of criminal acts.
• Cybercrime spans a broad spectrum of offenses, impacting individuals, entities, and governmental bodies alike.

Types of cybercrime

• Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attacks: These aim to render an online service inaccessible by inundating the network with traffic from diverse sources, causing a system shutdown.
• Botnets: Networks of compromised computers are manipulated externally by remote hackers. These botnets are utilized to send spam or launch attacks on other computers.
• Identity Theft: This cybercrime involves unauthorized access to a user's personal or confidential information, with the intent to damage reputation or extort a ransom.
• Cyberstalking: Online harassment is perpetrated through a barrage of messages and emails, typically using social media, websites, and search engines to intimidate and instill fear in the targeted user.
• Phishing: A form of social engineering attack employed to illicitly obtain user data, including login credentials and credit card details. It occurs when an attacker, posing as a trusted entity, deceives the victim into opening an email, instant message, or text message.

Steps taken by Indian government:

• Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C): Coordinating nationwide efforts to combat various types of cyber crimes.
• National Cyber Forensic Laboratory: Offering early-stage cyber forensic assistance to Investigating Officers from all State/UT Police through both online and offline channels.
• CyTrain Portal: A Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) platform designed for the capacity building of police officers, judicial officers, and prosecutors. It provides online courses on crucial aspects of cyber crime investigation, forensics, and prosecution.
• National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: A platform for the public to report cyber crimes, with a special emphasis on incidents involving women and children.
• Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System: Facilitating immediate reporting of financial frauds and aiding in lodging online cyber complaints through a toll-free helpline.
• Cybercrime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC) Scheme: Providing financial support to States/UTs to enhance the capabilities of Law Enforcement Agencies in investigating cyber crimes against women and children.
• Joint Cyber Coordination Teams: Formed to improve coordination among Law Enforcement Agencies of States/UTs, especially in areas with multi-jurisdictional issues related to cyber crimes.
• Central Assistance for Modernization of Police: Offering financial support to States/UTs for acquiring modern weaponry, advanced communication/forensic equipment, and cyber policing tools.