Cybersecurity and Pandemic: Covid-19 made India vulnerable to Cyberattacks

Cybersecurity has become a complex and fast-moving security challenge in the age of Information Communication and Technology (ICT). As the dependence on ICT is deepening across the globe, cyber threats appear likely to penetrate every nook and corner of national economies and infrastructure; indeed, the growing dependence on computers and internet-based networking has been accompanied by increased cyberattack incidents around the world, targeting individuals, businesses, and governments. 

Meanwhile, ICT is increasingly being seen by some governments as both a strategic asset to be exploited for the purposes of national security and as a battlefield where strategic conflicts can be fought. This paper examines the primacy of cybersecurity in the contemporary security debate, deepening the analysis by looking at the domain of cybersecurity from the perspective of India.

The covid-19 outbreak proved to be a threat to India's cybersecurity and led to the leaks of Covid-19 test results and a cyberattack on systems of an airline service provider that resulted in the leakage of the personal data of 4.5 million passengers. India is one of the fastest-growing markets for digital technologies fuelling the government's push towards actualizing its Digital India mission. Whether creating broadband highways or rolling out services such as DigiLocker and e-governance schemes like the Jan Dhan Yojana, the government has pushed for as much digital adoption as possible over the past five years.

The pandemic has only exacerbated this problem as it resulted in an even heavier dependence on digital technologies. From payments to e-shopping to WFH, the pandemic led to greater adoption of interconnected devices and hybrid work networks. Consequently, this vast and rapid expansion of digital assets has increased the surface area for cyber-attacks by malicious actors and adversaries. The recent spate of attacks on electricity grids and financial institutions should alert us to the true possibility of potentially dangerous scenarios in the future.