Maharashtra Cyber issues advisories to depts on online threats; acts against Wikipedia, Proton Mail

Mumbai: Maharashtra Cyber has issued advisories to various state government departments, including police, to take precautionary steps to avoid cyber attacks as the credentials of many of these departments were found on the darknet, officials said on Friday.

The departments include Maharashtra Public Service Commission, the Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR), the Electricity Department, Maha DBT, among others, as Maharashtra Cyber and the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) in many cases found usernames, passwords and APN keys on the darknet, they added.

They also said Maharashtra Cyber has written to Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) recommending blocking of Wikipedia platform under relevant sections of Information Technology Act for failing to comply with specific police directives.

The advisories to these departments were issued as in some cases it was found that data from those websites or from IT resources were being leaked, an official said.

The data includes official email IDs and passwords, which raises the vulnerability of these sites to hacking and other forms of cyber attack, he said.

"With these advisories, we have asked the departments to strengthen their websites from being hacked. We are trying to plug gaps so as to prevent cyber attacks," said Yashasvi Yadav, Additional Director General of Police of Maharashtra Cyber.

He said Maharashtra Cyber, while monitoring the internet landscape, had found objectionable content against Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj on Wikipedia, after which several notices were issued to Wikipedia and its parent organization Wikimedia Foundation for removal of such content as well as disclosure of user information responsible for editing these passages.

"However, despite repeated communications, no compliance was received. A stern warning was issued to Wikipedia, cautioning that failure to comply could result in the blocking of its services in India under Section 69A of IT Act. Now Maharashtra Cyber has written to Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) recommending blocking of Wikipedia platform under Information Technology Act," he said.

The platform should honour the law of the land and share information with police or they should be banned for not doing so, he asserted.

Another official said a similar notice has been sent to Proton Mail services as it was allegedly misused for serious criminal activities.

"In one case, Proton Mail was used to send hoax bomb threats targeting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai. Multiple FIRs were registered and legal notices were sent to Proton Mail requesting crucial user information necessary for investigation. But no response was received," this official said.

"There were multiple cases in which Proton Mail was used for bomb threats and other criminal activities. Notices were issued under relevant legal provisions seeking cooperation from Proton Mail, but the platform failed to respond or assist in the investigations," he added.

Considering the repeated non-compliance by Proton Mail despite multiple legal notices and warnings, the Office of the Additional Director General of Police, Maharashtra Cyber, has formally written to Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and recommended the blocking of these platforms under Information Technology Act, the official said.

All relevant documentation, FIRs, and previous correspondence with the platforms have been submitted to MeitY in support of this request, the official informed.

Maharashtra Cyber is committed to ensuring digital safety, public trust, and lawful conduct on the internet and urges all digital service providers to adhere to Indian laws and cooperate with law enforcement agencies, especially when national interest and public security are involved, the official emphasised.