New Cyber Swachhta Kendra to provide free anti-virus services
22 Feb 2017
In view of the unprecedented rise in the digital transactions in the country, the government is fast-tracking its efforts to build a robust cyber security ecosystem.
The country's apex cyberspace intelligence agency, the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NCCC), will become functional in June this year while sector specific computer emergency response teams (CERT) for industries such as power, communications, etc, will also be created, union minister for electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Tuesday.
Prasad was speaking in New Delhi at the launch of the Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre called the Cyber Swachhta Kendra, which will help individuals and organisations in analysing malware and botnets that affect networks and systems.
The centre will facilitate free anti-virus for computers and mobile phones in the country with a project cost of Rs90 crore spread over period of five years.
''I would like ISPs (internet service providers) to encourage their consumers to come on board, there is a free service available. Come and use it in the event some malware has sneaked in to the system,'' Prasad said.
The Indian cyber security watchdog CertIn will collect data of infected systems and send it to ISPs and banks. These ISPs and banks will identify the user and provide them with link of the centre, launched in name of Cyber Swachhta Kendra.
Prasad said that India is on the path of becoming a $1-trillion digital economy over the coming years and will need to have strong cyber security for this. Prasad said that while the ministry has already launched a division for digital payments under CERT and a financial CERT is also being set up, states will be encouraged to set up their own CERTs.
Among the other measures announced were 10 more standardisation testing and quality certification facilities to be set up and testing fee for any startup that comes up with a digital technology in the area of cyber security to be reduced by 50 per cent.
Prasad also said that designated forensic labs will be empowered to work as the certified authority to establish cybercrime. As of now 58 internet service providers and 13 banks have come on board to use this system. ''The project has budget outlay of Rs90 crore spread over a period of five years,'' CERT-In director general Sanjay Bahl said.