Cybersecurity threat: Centre proposes CERT for all states

To deal with cybersecurity threat, the Centre has said it is working on setting up a Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) in each state to protect the computer system in their respective states.    

Kerala and Maharashtra have already set up their state CERT, while the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has taken up the matter with other states to set up a similar body, the ministry informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology.  

While CERT-In will remain the umbrella agency,  the state CERTs will have to function in coordination with the national level body.

Besides, the government has started working on establishing CERT for the power and telecom sector, while a similar body for the financial sector is on the cards.

The government is also working on setting up an exclusive CERT for other vulnerable sectors as well, the ministry said.    

With an increase in cybersecurity incidents in the country, from 7981 cases in 2009 to 50,362 cases in 2016, the government has also engaged with 51 academic institutions for training and educating 1.5 lakh cyber security professionals, the ministry said.

The panel in its report, tabled in Parliament on Friday, recommended the government to strengthen the proposal for allocation of 10% of the IT budget of every department towards cybersecurity.  

The panel also suggested that "existing CERT-In, Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre and proposed National Cyber Co-ordination Centre ( NCCC) should be integrated to complement each other and provide a seamless security framework for effectively dealing with emerging threats in the Indian cyberspace."  

With the RBI registering a total 16,468 cases of online frauds involving credit cards, ATM/debit cards or internet banking during 2015-16 in the country, there is an urgent need to increase manpower required for cybersecurity, the panel said.  

The committee also said that at present only 32 cybersecurity auditors or auditing organisation empanelled by the CERT-In for the purpose of carrying out cybersecurity audit-related activities.

Though empanelment is a continues process, the government should take steps to increase this number to face the challenge of growing cybersecurity threat, the panel suggested.