The Indian cybersecurity sector successfully thwarted numerous cyberattack attempts on the G20 portal during the summit, with a peak of 16 lakh Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks per minute. Rajesh Kumar, the CEO of the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), disclosed this information at the annual conference.
The I4C wing, established by the Ministry of Home Affairs, is dedicated to creating a framework and eco-system for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) to collaboratively and comprehensively address cybercrime. Responding to a query, Kumar mentioned that the attacks, reaching a rate of 16 lakh per minute, targeted the G20 account from the moment the website went live, with the intensity peaking during the summit.
Cyberattacks were successfully thwarted
He went on to clarify that the I4C, in collaboration with various concerned Indian agencies, successfully thwarted these cyberattacks, ensuring the security of the website. The official expressed concerns regarding non-national foreign threat actors utilising Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to operate, with indications of their attempts originating from China, Cambodia, and Malaysia.
However, pinpointing the exact location is challenging, given that VPN networks conceal the true identity and location of the hackers. According to cyber experts, non-national threat actors often employ Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks to disrupt and potentially sabotage websites, and these attacks could have been initiated from foreign countries.
Complaints registered at National Cybercrime Reporting Portal
During his address at the conference, Kumar shared that over 31 lakh cybercrime complaints have been officially registered on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in) since its launch in August 2019. Furthermore, he noted that Law Enforcement Agencies from various states and union territories have filed more than 66,000 First Information Reports (FIRs) based on these complaints.
The official highlighted that the I4C wing has compiled an analytical report detailing the modus operandi of the top 50 cyber-attacks observed in 2023. With the help of National Cyber Helpline Number 1930, Kumar said, the concerned agencies helped save over ₹ 1,100 crore in defrauded money in three years by benefiting 4.3 lakh victims.
G20 summit 2023
The G20 summit marked the eighteenth gathering of the group, hosted at Delhi's Bharat Mandapam International Exhibition-Convention Centre on September 9-10 last year. It was a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. The G20 Leaders’ Declaration was adopted at the G20 New Delhi Summit, stating their commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon, during the respective ministerial and working group meetings.
(With ANI inputs)
