Dragon targets telecom to breach security, firewall ready in 6 months

New Delhi: In a bid to counter cyber-attacks and data theft, primarily perpetrated from China, the government seems determined to implement the new security directives in the telecom sector, cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), within the next six months.

Underlining the need of such directive, a confidential report of National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) says that India is among top three countries in the world facing cyber-attacks. “A sum of Rs 1.24 lakh crore was lost due to cyber-crime in India last year,” the report reveals.

The NSCS report reviewed by IANS says that these cyber-attacks are usually committed through compromised hardware and software components of telecom networks. With increasing use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the risk seems to increase manifold and advent of 5G technologies will further increase the security concerns resulting from telecom networks. There is an urgent need to “maintain integrity of supply chain including electronic components for ensuring security against malware infection,” the report adds.