India Ransomware Report 2022

What is a Ransomware ?

• Ransomware is a type of malicious software or malware that is designed to block access to a computer system, network, or data until a ransom is paid. E.g., WannaCry (2017), Petya/NotPetya (2017); GandCrab (2018).

What is in the News ?

• India saw a 53% increase in Ransomware incidents in 2022 as per “India Ransomware Report 2022” by CERT-In.
• The Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In) has reported that ransomware attacks are not only motivated by money but also by geopolitical conflicts.

Major Findings of the Report

• The number of reported ransomware attacks in India in 2022 was 53% higher than in 2021.
• Ransomware attacks targeted critical infrastructure organizations to disrupt services and extract ransom payments.
• The IT/ITeS sector in India was the most impacted by ransomware attacks, followed by the finance and manufacturing sectors.
• Recommendation : Organizations should regularly update their contingency plan; have higher cyber awareness among their employees.
• The RaaS (Ransomware-as-a-service) ecosystem is becoming more prominent, allowing even non-technical individuals to launch ransomware attacks.

Formal Initiatives to Tackle Cyber threats

• Budapest Convention on Cybercrime (2004, the first international treaty that seeks to address Internet and cybercrime by harmonizing national laws)—India is not a signatory.
• National Cyber Security Policy, 2013.
• National Cyber Security Strategy, 2020.

Practice Questions for Prelims

Q. What is the primary goal of ransomware?
a) to steal personal information
b) to disrupt computer operations
c) to encrypt files and demand payment for the decryption key
d) to spread to other computers

Ans. c

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