CYBER TERRORISM: A VIRUS THAT ROTS THE SOCIETY
BY: SMRITI BERLIA , BBA LLB 4TH Year
1. ABSTRACT
There is no specific definition of cyber terrorism, cyber terrorism is a computer-based terror attack and this research paper talks about what exactly cyber terrorism is. It states about the cyber terrorism in India. As earlier India had no specific provision for cyber terrorism but sooner or later India faced many cyber terrorism threats and such consequences which affected both physical lives as well as caused other harms like stress, anxiety, frauds, etc., with people along with other major cyber-attacks. There are many incidents stated where new forms of cyber attacks came in India which encouraged formation of various new legislative reforms and provisions for dealing and curbing the threat called cyber terrorism like National Cyber Security policy, Information and Technology act, etc. The research paper summarises with author’s conclusion and suggestions regarding the cyber terrorism in India and the requirements of few new reforms to be considered for cyber security.
2. INTRODUCTION
A common definition of cyber terrorism is any planned, politically motivated attack on information systems, programmes, and data that incites violence or actually causes it. Any cyber attack that causes fear or intimidation in the target population is sometimes included in the definition. Attackers frequently carry out this by destabilising or destroying crucial infrastructure.
Attacks and threats of attacks against computers, networks, and the data they contain that are made with the intention of intimidating or coercing a government or its citizens in order to achieve political or social goals are illegal.Similar methods are used in cyber terrorism as in conventional cyber attacks. Cyber terrorists can reach their targets using DDoS attacks, numerous types of malware, social engineering techniques, phishing operations, and more. Instead of dividing cyberterrorism and cyberwarfare into distinct categories based on the methods employed, the CRS does so. By using this framework, a system for classifying the many parties involved can be created.
2.1 Cyber Terrorist
A criminal who specifically uses computer technology and the Internet to spread fear and inflict havoc is known as a cyber-terrorist. Some cyber terrorists spread computer viruses while others use the internet to harm people.
2.2 Cyber spies
Cyber Spies In order to obtain a tactical, security, financial, or political edge, cyber spies steal confidential or proprietary information from governments or private businesses. Targeting government networks, authorised defence contractors, and private businesses, they frequently follow instructions from foreign governments.
2.3 Cyber thieves
Cybercriminals carry out unlawful cyber attacks in order to profit financially. A company or person accessing a system to steal and sell credit card numbers is an example.
2.4 Cyber warriors
Agents or quasi-agents of nation-states, cyber warriors are those who create capabilities and launch cyberattacks in support of a nation’s strategic goals. In terms of the objective, timing, and type(s) of cyberattack, entities may or may not be working on behalf of the government, and they are frequently held responsible by the host.1
3 CYBER CRIME IN INDIA
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India, and cyber specialists have continually forewarned India about the threat of cyberattacks. Even the CBI website is attacked by hackers in 2010 by the “Pakistani Cyber Army.” In his 2005 talk on cyberterrorism, the former president of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam, raised concerns. Instead, our country, India, does not yet have experience in “Cyber security system”. Considerablydamaging for India. Companies, governmental and private institutions, as well as the financial and insurance sectors, in India spend less money and are less concerned with cyber security.
1FDU,https://online.fdu.edu/program-resources/cybersecurity-and-cyber-terrorism/ (last visited on 25th January, 2023; 04:20 PM).
Furthermore, every day around 60 Indian websites are defaced by Pakistani cybercriminals. Our websites were conveniently breached by Pakistani hackers who then posted disparaging content about India to advance their own political, religious, social, or financial causes. In order to further their objective, cyberterrorists are using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), such as What’s App voice and video conversations, Skype, Google Talk video calls, etc., coded chats, secret messages hidden in photographs, email drafting, and encrypted pen drives. The need for ethical hackers is now projected to be 188,000 worldwide and 77,000 in India, according to NASSCOMIDC polls.
In 2011, a bomb explosion in the Mumbai bazaar Jhaveri Bazaar was another cyberattack. In the 2010 Varanasi bomb blast case, which was similarly carried out with the aid of electronic communication.
In the end, the Indian government was driven to create a robust system to address the problem of cyberterrorism. In order to address cyber terrorism and other similar issues, the Information Technology Act, 2000 was updated in 2008 and now contains Sec. 66F, but it was not specifically addressed at the time. Additionally, it introduced changes to the Indian Evidence Act of 1872 and the Indian Penal Code of 1860. We Indians have spent less on cyber security as a substitute.2
4 EFFECTS OF CYBER CRIME
In a physical attack, an attacker physically gains access to a physical item in the infrastructure system with the intention of damaging it, rendering it inoperable, stealing it, or using it inadvertently. The attacker disables or bypasses access controls using force, stealth, or deception, and then either physically damages system components or manipulates the system (e.g., turns valves or opens circuit breakers) to finish the attack. Focus is placed on the prompt identification, disruption, and neutralisation of adversary activities while protecting against physical attacks. The goal of security system designers is to reliably identify threats in order to mount a swift defence that first stops the threat before neutralising it.
2Shiv Raman; Nidhi Sharma, Cyber Terrorism in India: A Physical Reality Orvirtual Myth, 5, Indian Journal of Law and Human Behaviour (IJLHB) 03, 2019, https://journals.indexcopernicus.com/api/file/viewByFileId/783266.pdf
In one instance, cyberterrorism resulted in the deaths of two people and the injuries of many more when terrorists poisoned the water supply with an excess of chlorine. In other cases, cyberterrorism was less deadly; no one was physically harmed, but hackers stole the clientele’s bank account numbers and successfully transferred funds to Hamas. A control group saw an impartial movie on the inauguration of a water treatment plant while a third set of participants watched a fatal but typical mass-casualty terrorist incident. Following these screenings, we asked respondents about key human security measures. These included a willingness to give up privacy and civil liberties in favour of security, tension, worry, a sense of unease and threat, and political militancy.3
Costs associated with defending against ever-more-sophisticated attacks are one effect that cyberterrorism strikes have on businesses and people. Companies and individuals are more vulnerable to the cost of paying ransomware demands and restoring lost data as ransomware attacks become more common. With the number and sophistication of cyber-attacks rising, the World Economic Forum names the top five cybersecurity concerns that governments, businesses, and individuals must address:
a. Society’s growing dependence on technology makes everyone more vulnerable to attacks on government services, healthcare systems, transportation networks, and communication systems. Solutions become more difficult as national boundaries dissipate and distinctions blur between physical and digital realms.
b. Regulations that are inconsistent and out-of-date make enforcement difficult and enable criminals to escape punishment.
c. Organizations and individuals are more reliant on unreliable third parties as a result of the increasing interconnection of the industrial and financial systems.
d. As hackers make advances and innovate, the degree of knowledge in the data security sector cannot keep up. Instead of preventing cyberattacks, as a result, businesses and people are left responding to them.
3OSTI, https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1427000 ( last visited on 27th January, 2023; 02:00 P.M)
e. According to data gathered by Third Way, the possibility of a cybercriminal being apprehended and sentenced is thought to be as low as 0.05% in the United States. The worldwide enforcement of cybercrime must be addressed.4
5 INCIDENTS OF CYBER CRIME Mafia Boy (2000)
A Canadian high school launched a distributed denial-of-service (D DOS) attack on several commercial sites, including big players like CNN, eBay, and Amazon. The hacks resulted in an estimated $1.2 billion of damage.
Google China Attack (2009)
In 2009, in an act of cyber espionage, hackers were able to get inside Google’s servers and access Gmail accounts belonging to Chinese human rights activists. Upon further investigation, authorities discovered that many Gmail accounts of people in different countries had been penetrated.
A Teenager Hacks the US Defence Department and NASA (1999)
A 15-year-old named Jonathan James was able to get inside the U.S. Department of Defence’s (DOD) computers and install a backdoor within its servers. He then used the backdoor to intercept internal emails, some of which had usernames and passwords inside.James then used his access to the DOD’s system to steal NASA software used to support the International Space Station.
Hacking a Radio Phone System to Win a Porsche (1995)
A man named Kevin Paulsen heard of a radio station contest where you could win a sports car. He ended up winning a Porsche 944 S2 by being the 102nd caller. He accomplished this feat by hacking the phone system, locking out other callers, ensuring his victory. He ended up getting sentenced to five years in prison.5
4MARYVILLE, https://online.maryville.edu/blog/cyber ( last visited on 25th January, 2023; 05:15 P.M)
5FORTINET, https://www.fortinet.com/resources/cyberglossary/most-notorious-attacks-in-the-history-of-cyber- warfare (last visited on 29th January, 2023; 01:00 P.M)
Cosmos cyber bank attack in Pune, India
In 2018, Cosmos Bank in Pune was the target of a recent cyberattack in India. When hackers stole Rs. 94.42 crores from Pune’s Cosmos Cooperative Bank Ltd., the daring attack rocked India’s entire banking industry.
The bank’s ATM server was breached by hackers, who stole the information of several visa and rupee debit card holders. Hacker groups from about 28 different nations instantly withdrew the money after being told, while money was erased.
UIDAI Aadhaar Software Hacked
A major data breach involving the personal information of 1.1 billion Indians with Aadhaar cards began the year 2018. Around 210 Indian government websites were found to have posted Aadhaar information on individuals online, according to UIDAI. Aadhaar, PAN, cell phone, bank account, and IFSC codes, along with the majority of each cardholder’s personal information, were among the data that were exposed. If that wasn’t frightening enough, unidentified merchants were selling anyone’s Aadhaar information for Rs. 500 via WhatsApp. Aadhaar automobile printouts might also be obtained by paying an additional Rs. 300.
Sim Swap Scam
In August 2018, two hackers from Navi Mumbai were detained for transferring 4 crore rupees from several bank accounts. They made unauthorized withdrawals from numerous people’s bank accounts. Both attackers fraudulently obtained SIM card information, blocked people’s SIM cards, and used posts of fictitious documents to conduct online banking transactions. They also attempted to hack into accounts of different targeted businesses. All those people and businesses who are still at risk from cyber threats should take note of the statistics and events surrounding the most recent cyber attacks in India. Implementing cyber security measures and adhering to the security guidelines listed below are crucial for enterprises.6
6 LEGISLATIVE REFORMS TAKEN BY INDIA
6.1 Information And Technology Act
India, a rapidly growing economy, wants to internationalize its economy and take control of the world supply chain. The obligation to defend cyberspace against potential threats, such as
6KRATIKAL, https://www.kratikal.com/blog/5-biggest-cyber-attacks-in-india/ ( last visited on 29th January, 2023; 06:50)
cyberterrorism, is greatly increased by this concept. India, on the other hand, has proven surprisingly open to cyberthreats. The COVID-19 epidemic has caused significant economic operations to increasingly take place online, which has increased the terrible effects of cyber terrorism.
Cyber terrorist attacks aim to bring down a country’s CI, and they are most likely to target services like telecommunications, banking, finance, military installations, and emergency medical services. Given that India’s cyberspace has become increasingly vulnerable to cyberterrorism, it is important to understand the possible threat that cyberterrorism poses to a country like India. The previous home secretary acknowledged India’s vulnerability to cyber threats and incompetence in defending against them in 2018. Therefore, it is imperative to modify and modernise the current machinery in order to combat the strategic threat of cyberterrorism and provide effective justifications admitting the worldwide pandemic.
The inclusion of “the use of cyberspace and cyber communication” should broaden the definition of “cyber terrorism.” The use of cyberspace for communication and other related purposes to further and carry out terrorist aims is not covered by this clause. To stop cyberterrorism, the Act should include clauses that address such actions. The Act needs a specific chapter on cyber terrorism to deal with all the complex components and aspects of the acts that constitute cyber terrorism in detail and to focus the direction of the Act to combat it.
6.2 National Cyber Security policy
The cyber security policy is a responsibility that is always changing and that serves the entire range of ICT users and providers, including households, small, medium, and large businesses, as well as government and non-government groups. It acts as a general framework for defining and directing the actions connected to cyberspace security. Additionally, it enables various industries and companies to create customised cyber security plans that meet their requirements. The policy includes a general overview of the steps necessary to effectively protect data, information systems, and networks and provides information on the government’s approach and plan for safeguarding the nation’s cyberspace. In order to protect the nation’s information, it also provides some guidance on how all important public and private entities can cooperate together.
6.3 Indian Cyber security Act
The Information Technology Act was revised in 2008 to include clauses addressing cyber terrorism. The use of online by terrorists has, however, changed significantly between 2008 and 2021. Cyberterrorism has become incredibly complex and deadly to combat as a result of the accumulation of time and the development of destructive technology.
Cyber terrorists employ cutting-edge techniques to launch cyberattacks that cause enormous devastation and exploit cyberspace for the radicalization of young people. To safeguard Indian cyberspace against potential cyberthreats and maintain its cyber sovereign interest, a new modernised legal order with strengthened law enforcement authorities is required in light of the development of destructive technological order that supports cyber terrorism.
India should think about passing the Indian Cybersecurity Act, a cybersecurity legislation designed to address modern cybersecurity concerns and control all facets of cybersecurity, including cyber terrorism. A new law would also create a more effective, deterrent, and harsh legal framework against cyber terrorism in light of the potential consolidation of cyber terror attacks.7
6.4 Indian Cyber security services
India’s massive cybersecurity framework cannot be improved and strengthened from a single location. For everyone, especially those living in remote areas of India, cybersecurity dangers have become the new standard. Indian Cybersecurity Service must be established as an all-India government service as a result.
In order to deal with all facets of cybersecurity, including cyber terrorism, it will supply India with the best personnel (placed in various regions of the nation at the grassroots level). Accordingly, Indian cybersecurity officials will also have a much greater say over the majority of policy decisions relating to cyberthreats, cybersecurity interests, and other topics, just as officers from other all-India civil services do due to their extensive background research and first-hand experiences that provide them with actual ground realities.
7 CONCLUSION
7LEGAL SERVICES INDIA, https://www.legalserviceindia.com/legal/article-8949-cyber-terrorism-and-laws-in- india.html (last visited on 30th January, 2023; 11:20 P.M)
As a decentralised network of communication, cyberspace has grown without regard to national or geographic boundaries. Therefore, to effectively combat cyber terrorism, international law and a cooperative cybersecurity framework are vital.
It’s time to strengthen international law so that it can combat cyberterrorism because the current system is unable to handle the threat. India should also consider updating its legal system or establishing specialised cybersecurity legislation that might include measures for cyberterrorism.
Cyberspace has been incorporated into a number of disciplines, including governance, public administration, trade, and business operations, as a result of the prime minister’s advocacy of the use of technology for development and administration as well as the global pandemic. Additionally, the connection of cyberspace with physical space is ongoing.
As a result, a multifaceted cybersecurity framework must be established. The COVID-19 epidemic has hastened the digitalization of businesses and other activities. Terrorist cyberattacks have the potential to virtually paralyse the financial and economic systems of a nation, including the Goods and Services Tax (GST) network in India. Therefore, the World Bank must take “cybersecurity” into account when determining the ease of doing business index in order to encourage the adoption of countermeasures by nations against cyberterrorism and strengthen the cybersecurity framework. Additionally, India must align its procedures and legislation with global best practises and work to lessen overlap across cybersecurity organisations.
Today, substantial economic, business, and other interests of India connect with cyberspace. The union must implement strict deterrence policies and cybersecurity reforms at all levels of operation to protect India’s strategic, sovereign, economic, and business interests in cyberspace. Analyzing cyberterrorism threats requires considering the big picture, and new processes and reformative measures must be put in place with a focus on the constitutional duty of the state under Article 19(1)(g) and Article 355 of the Indian Constitution.
For financial consultancy or any advisory, you may visit our website at : www.zfiling.com
Follow us at:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/zfiling/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/zfiling/
Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/@UCbEcQBi3CKfdvXcjnpVV8Aw
Website – https://zfiling.com/
About Us – https://zfiling.com/about-zfiling/
Contact us – https://zfiling.com/contact-zfiling/
Hashtags:
#IncomeTaxReturn #ITRFiling #TaxFiling #IncomeTax #ITR2024 #IncomeTaxIndia #TaxDeadline #FileYourITR #IncomeTaxFiling #IncomeTaxReturn2024 #TaxReturn #TaxSeason #ITRDeadline #TaxFiling2024 #LateFiling #BelatedReturn #IncomeTaxAdvice #TaxCompliance #TaxPenalties #IncomeTaxHelp #FinancialServices #TaxConsulting #TaxPlanning #GSTFiling #Bookkeeping #TDS #TaxAdvisor #AccountingServices #BusinessCompliance #MCACompliance #ROCCompliance #CompanyRegistration #GSTRegistration #IncomeTaxConsultant #FinanceExperts #TaxConsultant #CorporateCompliance #SmallBusinessTax #FinancialAdvice #TaxExperts
#ZFiling #ZFilingServices #ZFilingITR #ZFilingFinance #ZFilingIndia #TaxWithZFiling #ChooseZFiling #YourTaxPartner #TaxFilingWithZFiling #ExpertTaxFiling #HassleFreeTaxFiling #TrustZFiling #BestTaxServices #ZFilingSupport #TaxReturnWithZFiling #EasyTaxFiling #YourFinancePartner #ZFilingConsultants #FileWithZFiling #SupportAtZFiling
#FinanceManagement #TaxSavings #TaxPreparation #TaxPlanningTips #TaxDeductions #FinancialPlanning #IncomeTaxTips #PersonalFinance #WealthManagement #TaxRefund #FinanceConsultant #TaxRegulations #BusinessTaxes #IncomeTaxIndia2024 #FilingMadeEasy #TaxHelp #FinancialConsulting #SmartTaxFiling #IncomeTaxReturnFiling #taxknowledge #zfiling #z-filing #zfilingfinancialservices #zfiling #Z-filing
#IncomeTaxNotice #TaxAdvice #IRSNotice #TaxResolution #TaxTips #TaxFiling #TaxAudit #FinancialEducation #TaxHelp #TaxErrors #TaxDocumentation #TaxProfessional #MoneyManagement #PANVerification #IncomeTaxFiling #PermanentAccountNumber #IncomeTaxIndia #EfileTaxReturns #TaxCompliance #FinancialTips #VerifyPAN #TaxHelp #TaxAdvice #IncomeTaxRecords #TaxRegulations #PANCardVerification #TaxFilingGuide #FinancialEducation #TaxResolution