A cyberattack is a malicious and deliberate attempt by an individual or organization to breach the information system of another individual or organization. Usually, the attacker seeks some type of benefit from disrupting the victim’s network.
Below are some of the most common types of cyber-attacks.

 Malware. Malware is a type of application that can perform a variety of malicious tasks.
 Phishing.
 Man-in-the-middle attack (MITM)
 Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack.
 SQL injection.
 Zero-day exploit.
 DNS Tunnelling.
 Business Email Compromise (BEC)

Cyber attacks in India
 Nearly 1.16 million cases of cyberattacks were reported in 2020, up nearly three
times from 2019 and more than 20 times compared to 2016.
 India was the second most attacked country in the Asia Pacific, after Japan
 Finance and insurance was the top attacked industry in India (60%), followed by
manufacturing and professional services.
 Ransomware was the top attack type, making up roughly 40% of attacks.

Measures taken
 The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in) as the nodal agency for
coordination of all cyber security efforts, emergency responses, and crisis management
 e-BAAT (Electronic Banking Awareness And Training) programmes by RBI
 Organising campaigns on safe use of digital payment modes
 The Government has launched the online cybercrime reporting portal, www.cybercrime.gov.in to enable complainants to report complaints pertaining
to Child Pornography/Child Sexual Abuse Material, rape/gang rape imageries or
sexually explicit content.
 The Central Government has rolled out a scheme for establishment of Indian Cyber
Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to handle issues related to cybercrime in the country
in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.
 Establishment of National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre
(NCIIPC) for protection of critical information infrastructure in the country.
 All organizations providing digital services have been mandated to report cyber security incidents to CERT-In expeditiously.

 Cyber Swachhta Kendra (Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre) has been
launched for providing detection of malicious programmes and free tools to remove
such programmes.
 Formulation of Crisis Management Plan for countering cyber attacks and cyber
terrorism.
 Conducting regular training programmes for network / system administrators and Chief
Information Security Officers (CISOs) of Government and critical sector organisations
regarding securing the IT infrastructure and mitigating cyber attacks.
 Information Technology Act (Amendment) 2008 – It empowers the Indian government
to intercept, monitor and decrypt computer systems, resources and communication
devices.
 National Cyber Security Strategy 2020

Analysis of the measures taken

 Lack of awareness about the evolving technologies among the masses.
 Absence of data privacy law for protecting the data of Government, Business and
Individuals who are key drivers for the country’s development.
 Use of offensive technologies and encrypted apps by terrorists to spread fake news,
hack the personal data etc.
 Tracing fake propaganda accounts.
 Issue of Capability of Testing products.
 Typically, different domains are managed by separate ministries and departments.
 Policy development is challenging due to the inchoate and diffuse character of the
threats, as well as the inability to frame an adequate response in the absence of
identifiable perpetrators.
 Customers’ trust in digital platforms is eroding, putting India’s hopes of becoming a
cashless economy in jeopardy.
 Another source of concern is the rise of internet radicalization. Unlike traditional
conflict, extremists and terrorists have no physical bounds in cyberspace.
 Private corporations and banks do not report cyber attacks to government agencies on
a regular basis.
 Because there is a dearth of cybersecurity awareness among the general public, they are vulnerable to hacker attacks.

Measures to take
 At the operational level, a Cyber Coordination Centre should be established. This centre
would act as a clearinghouse, reviewing real-time information and allocating responsibilities to the appropriate agencies as needed.
 The foremost thing which needs to be done is setting up critical infrastructure to
ensure open, secure, free, accessible & stable cyberspace.
 Framing policies by identifying the vulnerable points of contacts in accordance with
the National Cyber strategy 2020.
 Ensuring integrity and security of products involved in Cyber services.
 Building awareness among users as well as developers with regard to configuration of
products.
Setting up of an apex body for coordinating on various cyber space issues among the
government and various agencies is the need of the hour.
 The government should launch a dedicated initiative to apply best practises in
cybersecurity in vital infrastructure sectors, as well as give the necessary monetary
support.
 Awareness of the threat to ICT infrastructure must be raised, and the required legal
provisions to protect cyber safety must be devised, updated on a regular basis, and
properly enforced.
 Cybersecurity should be considered a vital part of national security. The challenges of
cybercrime, cyberterrorism, and cyber warfare, among others, require immediate
attention.
 The government should create a method for assessing vital sector preparedness for
prospective cyberattacks, such as a security index that captures sector preparedness and
assigns a value to it.

Although India’s rank is among the top 10 countries, still there is a need for global
commitment to ensure openness in the cyber space in order to tackle the emerging global issue of cyber crime.

How to structure:

• Start with the definition of cyberattacks and its types
• Mention its ill effects shortly
• Explain the measures India has taken to counter cyber attacks- schemes-initiatives,frameworks etc.
• Provide the latest numbers of cyberattacks and mention where the issues are
• Suggest measures and conclude

References:

1. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/centre-looks-at-making-cybersecurity-an-independent-law-may-include-focus-on-emerging-tech-101635274397673.html
2. https://www.financialexpress.com/defence/indias-tryst-with-a-new-national-cyber-security-policy-heres-what-we-need/2304053/#:~:text=The%20National%20Cyber%20Security%20Policy,amongst%20the%20most%20targeted%20nations