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Uttarakhand
Cyber Attacks Policy Sensitive Information Uttarakhand

Cyberattacks Expose Critical Vulnerabilities in Government Systems

 



Cyberattacks are becoming as consequential a threat as physical insurgencies, targeting government systems and vital businesses with growing frequency. A ransomware attack on the Uttarakhand government on October 2, 2024, brought over 90 key state-run websites to a grinding halt, including important platforms such as the CM Helpline, Chardham registration portal, and land registry systems. This breach brought the state's entire IT infrastructure to a standstill, where attackers gained control of sensitive information and demanded ransom, thereby paralyzing all state operations. 


Extent of the Attack 

This attack compromised the central data center of the Uttarakhand government and compromised not only sensitive information regarding citizens and other important departments but also compromised the Chief Minister's office.

Though the government said on October 10 that no data had been lost, the incident highlighted glaringly the lack of preparedness in mitigating such threats. This incident also represents a trend, as India suffered 388 data breaches, 107 data leaks, and close to 5 billion cyberattacks in 2023. Such attack gravity was previously witnessed in 2022, when AIIMS Delhi remained closed for two weeks following a ransomware attack that crippled healthcare services. 


Scrutiny over Preparedness and Accountability

The question on the preparedness and accountability of Uttarakhand government in terms of cybersecurity has now been raised.

An initiative two years ago even assigned ITI Limited in Bengaluru to design a disaster recovery plan, which still did not come into existence.

Experts are now wondering why this state did not have the basic cybersecurity protocols in place such as data backup systems and security audits that would have minimized damage, and that there is still no dedicated cybersecurity task force or enough technical experts within the Information Technology Development Agency (ITDA). 


Urgency for Policy Overhauls


The attack puts a primer on the need for overhaul in Uttarakhand and, by extension, other states across the nation. It calls for hiring subject matter experts, carrying regular audits, and placing cybersecurity nodal officers in each department. A comprehensive program to train officials along with collabingotals with cybersecurity professionals is the need of the hour to structure an effective system for future assault. 


Learning from the Crisis  

What has been called Uttarakhand's "Cyber Security Cloud Burst," this is a wake-up call. Rather than waiting for the restoration of the state's infrastructure, by putting in place stringent protocols and opening channels for frank dialogues with cybersecurity experts, steps can be taken to create precedence for other states as well. Cybersecurity cannot and should not be considered something to be done on the back burner but something integral to governance.



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US Port Security
Chinese Cranes Cyber Security Cyberattacks CyberCrime Cyberhackers CyberThreat Policy US Port Security

US Port Security Threatened by Chinese-Made Cranes, Says House Report

 


Despite its long-standing reliance on Chinese marine cranes, the U.S. is placing a national security risk over the cranes' ability to be operated remotely through built-in modems, according to a staff report released Friday by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. 

"Hidden" and "unauthorized" modems have been found in U.S. ports, and the committee described the discovery as troubling, as U.S. ports have not requested the modems or specifically identified in legal agreements. Several cranes used at US ports may have been fitted with intelligence-gathering equipment installed by a Chinese company that could allow Beijing to spy on Americans and cripple critical infrastructure in the United States, according to a new report released by Congress. 

As a result of the Republican majority on both the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, as well as the House Homeland Security Committee, it was found that Shanghai-based ZPMC engineering company, a state-owned company, had pressured American port authorities to allow remote access to its cranes, “particularly on the West Coast” of the United States. 

Despite this, it is also possible that this access could be extended to other government entities within the People’s Republic of China, posing an additional risk because PRC national security laws mandate cooperation with state intelligence agencies, according to the report, resulting from a year-long investigation. As for the cranes in question, they are products of the Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (ZPMC), which is a Chinese state company that operates in overseas ports and is regarded as one of the leading crane manufacturers in the world. 

It is important to note that, when raising concerns about ZPMC and similar Chinese companies, the House Republicans also made the point that it was not contractually bound to prevent backdoors from being installed in their products. ZPMC and other Chinese state-owned companies are not contractually barred from installing backdoors into equipment or modifying technology in such a way that could allow unauthorized access or remote control to equipment. 

According to the report, this would enable them to compromise sensitive data or disrupt operations within the U.S. maritime sector in the future," In a statement released on Monday, lawmakers said that Chinese governments are collecting and analyzing shipping and logistics data under their country's "Going Out" strategy, which was first outlined by Chinese Premier Jiang Zemin during the 1990s. 

That strategy encompasses the construction of new ports in the Indian Ocean, as well as major infrastructure investments in Africa, and trade and commercial initiatives across the Asian continent. In their words, Congress described the policy as marking a pivotal shift in international economic dynamics, a noteworthy development. It is reported that the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) confirmed to The Hill on Friday that there have been no recorded security breaches of equipment at US ports because of his association. 

There has long been concern among U.S. officials about China-made products being used in critical infrastructure and other sensitive areas. There has only been an increase in tensions between the U.S. and China over Taiwan as it has become clear that the threat of a martial conflict is now very real. In an interview at the Center for Strategic and International Studies earlier this week, Rob Silvers, who oversees the Department of Homeland Security's policy division, explained that the Biden administration has made a recommendation to invest billions of dollars into cranes to counter Beijing's impact. 

Even though the U.S. and Chinese economies remain deeply intertwined, the U.S. still holds a huge amount of Chinese debt and the U.S. still holds a lot of Chinese debt. Even though Chinese products are sold in huge quantities, economic relations between the two countries have been under intense stress since the pandemic, as the supply and value chains were shut down, contributing eventually to a wave of global inflation as a result. In recent years, the U.S. policy on investment and manufacturing has shifted more towards domestic production, including in semiconductors, which has added some tailwind to the current volatility, even though many policy shops in Washington point out that the U.S. and China have a symbiotic relationship economically.
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Policy
Cyber Crime Cyber Safety Cyberattacks Cybersecurity Cyberthreats Data Safety Europol Policy

Cracking Down on Crime: Europol Shares Data on Europe's Top Threats

 


There has been a considerable increase in serious organized crime over the past few years, and it continues to pose a significant threat to the EU's internal security. The most threatening criminal networks operating in and affecting the EU need to be clearly understood by law enforcement and policymakers if they are to effectively prioritise resources and guide policy action. 

Certain traits make successful companies agile and resilient, able to anticipate trends and pivot to new environments rapidly while maintaining their operations at the same time. Europol released a report on Friday that indicated that the most threatening criminal networks across the EU are also equipped with these skills. 

Europol has presented a report today (April 5) detailing the state of crime in Europe, highlighting 821 criminal networks that exist within the EU territory, flagged as the most dangerous criminal networks within the EU. Making the invisible visible so that we can know, fight, and defeat it. To produce the report, we consulted with law enforcement agencies from 27 of the member countries, as well as 17 other states, who provided information and participation. 

As Europol pointed out, some key characteristics distinguish the 821 most threatening criminal networks: they are agile as they can adopt business processes in a short time, which is characteristic of economies of scale, overcoming challenges that law enforcement agents may face as well. 

Despite their activities remaining concentrated in a single country, criminal networks are borderless: they can operate within EU and non-EU countries without any significant difficulty. Controlling: They can perform excellent surveillance over everything within the organization, and they generally specialize in a specific criminal activity. In addition to corrupt activities, the 821 networks also engage in significant damage to internal security due to corruption. 

As a result of Europol's report on terrorism, 50 per cent of the most dangerous criminal networks are involved in drug trafficking. For 36 per cent of those networks, drug trafficking is their sole business. A total of 15 percent of the organizations deal with fraud exclusively while the remaining 6 percent deal with human trafficking. 

Regarding drugs, aside from heroin, cannabis, and cocaine, there is also the concern that there is the arrival of new substances on the European market such as Fentanyl, which has already caused thousands of deaths in the United States and has already reached a critical point. Recent months have seen massive shipments of drugs hidden in bananas that have been shipped throughout Europe. 

A shipment of bananas in the British Isles contained a shipment of more than 12,500 pounds of cocaine, which was found in February, breaking the record of the most drugs seized in a single seizure in British history. In August of last year, customs agents in the Netherlands discovered that 17,600 pounds of cocaine had been hidden inside banana crates inside Rotterdam's port. 

In the Italian port of Gioia Tauro, a police dog sniffed out 3 tons of cocaine hidden in a case of bananas three months earlier. As part of the top ten criminal groups identified, nine of them specialize in cyber crimes and are actively operating in France, Germany, Switzerland and the U.S. These organizations, mainly run by Russians and Ukrainians, are active in France, Germany, Switzerland and the U.S. 

They have up to 100 members, but have a core of criminals who are responsible for distributing ransomware to affiliates so that they can conduct cyber attacks. A core group of individuals are responsible for managing the negotiation and payment of ransoms, often in cryptocurrency, and usually pay affiliates 80% of their fee for carrying out an attack. 

As a result of their involvement in fraud schemes and providing cyber services and technology solutions, service providers provide crucial support to criminal networks. The methods used in these campaigns include mass mailings and phishing campaigns, creating fake websites, creating fake advertisements and creating social media accounts. 

According to Europol, the firm has also been supporting online fraud schemes and advising on the movements of cryptocurrencies online. Law enforcement personnel sometimes use countermeasures, such as encrypted telephones to avoid detection by criminal networks, to avoid being detected by them. The other group of people avoid the use of electronic devices in all forms of communication and meet in person instead to avoid leaving any digital footprint on their activities.  

A report released by the European Commission stated that drug trafficking continues to stand out as the most significant activity in the EU countries and is witnessing record seizures of cocaine in Europe, as well as an increase in violent crimes linked to drugs, such as in Belgium and France.  

Half of the most dangerous networks in the criminal world are involved in drug trafficking in some form or another, whether on their own or as part of their overall portfolio. According to the report, more than 70% of networks engage in corruption “to facilitate criminal activity or obstruct law enforcement or judicial processes. 68% of networks use violence as an inherent element of their approach to conduct business,” which is consistent with their criminal or nefarious activities.

It has been reported that gang violence has been rife in Antwerp for decades as the city serves as the main entry point for Latin American cocaine cartels into the European continent. Federal authorities say that drug trafficking is rapidly affecting society as a result of an increase in drug use throughout the whole country. 

In Ylva Johansson, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, the threat of organised crime is one of the biggest threats facing the society of today, a threat which threatens it with corruption and extreme violence. During a press conference, Europol explained the data it collected would be shared with law enforcement agencies in countries of the EU, which should help better target criminals.
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