'Multi-Pronged Strategy Needed To Tackle Cyber Terror'

A multi-pronged strategy of setting up of a super information- sharing body, better coordination between government agencies, use of indigenous software and hardware could help in avoiding cyber terrorism on India, said officials of NGO Cyber Society of India.

“Through shared data-mining and warehousing, hackers get a comprehensive outlook. On the other hand, government agencies work as islands, not sharing information,” the society’s founder chairman R. Ramamurthy told reporters here Tuesday.

According to the society’s senior vice president V. Rajendran, India needs a law for data privacy same as western nations.

Simple steps like seeking a mobile phone number as an authentication by all email and social networking site providers in India will not only enable tracing the trail but also fix responsibilities on content or service providers, society officials said.

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The NGO welcomed the government’s action in banning bulk SMSes and some websites that had messages threatening people hailing from northeast regions living in other parts of the country.

According to the society, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN) has sufficient teeth to act against cyber attackers and the present laws including the Information Technology Act are sufficient to deal with the matter.

Setting up of a super monitoring nodal agency to exclusively look after the cyber security of the nation should be considered, the officials said.

This agency should be empowered to receive information of potential attacks from intelligence agencies and take preventive and corrective action with well-defined powers vested with it, they urged.