Govt implements comprehensive technical, legal measures to deal with cyberattacks: Vaishnaw

New Delhi: Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said the government has taken comprehensive technical and legal measures to deal with cyber attacks, which have become a “big challenge”.

During Question Hour proceedings in Rajya Sabha, the minister informed that the government is also creating awareness among people to deal with this challenge.

“Cyberattacks are a big challenge for us,” Vaishnaw said.

To face this challenge, the government has taken comprehensive legal and technical measures, besides creating awareness to prepare citizens.

The minister stated that India has a robust cybersecurity policy and the same is being implemented very carefully.

India’s ranking in the global cybersecurity index has improved from 30-40 to the top 10 now, he added.

On the legal front, he said Parliament has passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and also strengthened provisions in the existing IT laws.

Moreover, the minister said, the new Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita Act has provisions for punishments for cyber-criminals.

On the technical side, Vaishnaw said the Union Home Ministry has created the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to deal with cybercrimes in a coordinated and effective manner and added that this has given good results.

The minister highlighted that India was able to thwart major cyberattacks during the G20 summit and Ram temple inauguration ceremony.

In a written submission, the minister informed the House that the total number of cybersecurity incidents increased to 20,41,360 in 2024 from 15,92,917 in 2023 and 13,91,457 in 2022, as per the information reported to and tracked by CERT-In.

“The government is cognizant of the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks in the country. The government has taken several legal, technical, and administrative policy measures for addressing cyber security challenges in the country,” Vaishnaw said.

The government has also institutionalised a nationwide integrated and coordinated system to deal with cyberattacks in the country, he noted.

These include the National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) under the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) to ensure coordination amongst different agencies.