[ISN] Govt gets real on cyber terror

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/govt-gets-real-on-cyber-terror/441860/

By Anubhuti Vishnoi 
Indian Express
April 02, 2009

New Delhi: The Indian Government seems to have finally woken up to the 
threat of cyber terrorism, and is putting together a full-fledged Crisis 
Management Plan for countering cyber attacks like the recent one on 
Indian embassies.

Having identified critical sectors that could be vulnerable to cyber 
attacks, the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology has 
issued security guidelines to all ministries and Government departments 
asking them to set up 24x7 cyber control rooms, implement information 
security best practices, deploy information security experts, formulate 
their own information security policies and ensure background checks of 
all personnel employed in IT divisions. Henceforth, the National Crisis 
Management Committee (NCMC) headed by the Cabinet Secretary will also be 
monitoring all national-level cyber crises.

The Armed Forces, defence production and research, power, Oil and gas, 
stock exchanges, depositories, banks and financial institutions, space 
research installations, Internet services, Telecom and data centers, 
broadcasting services, railways, civil aviation, shipping and surface 
transport, public utilities and law enforcement agencies have been 
identified as critical sectors, with both public and private 
installation marked as vulnerable.

The plan mandates that central administrative departments under each 
critical sector will set up 24-hour control rooms which will get 
activated immediately after a crisis situation is reported and also 
prepare detailed contingency plans. Each organisation has also been 
directed to screen and do background checks of all employees engaged in 
implementing and monitoring cyber security and crisis management plans 
including contractors and third party users. This screening entails that 
each employee be checked for satisfactory character references, accuracy 
of CVs, claimed academic and professional qualifications, credit checks, 
criminal record checks and independent identity checks in the form of 
passport or similar documents.

[...]


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