Cyber crime on the rise: Online safety course is mandatory for all government personnel

June 28, 2023 karavalitimes

New Delhi: As cybercrime is on the rise digital platforms of various ministries and departments of the central government have come under a huge number of cyber-attacks in the last few years, the Center has now made it mandatory for its employees, including senior officials, to take a short online course on cybercrime security.

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has introduced an initiative ‘Be Safe in Cyber Space’ for government employees. The Ministry has also organized two more courses. One is Yoga and second is Orientation Module of Mission Life. The cyber security course aimed at making a beneficial and useful impact in the professional and personal lives of all government employees is on the Government’s iGOT Karmayogi platform.

“In order to create awareness about cyber security at workplaces, all government employees should take and complete this course,” said a senior official. Through this course, government employees are taught all the methods of maintaining websites, digital platforms and databases and other password-driven digital modes of communication. A large number of employees and officers are undergoing cyber security course by the end of June, the official said.

According to official figures, the number of Central Government employees in various departments is about 34.45 lakh as on March 1, 2023, which is estimated to increase to 35.55 lakh by March 1, 2024. About 29 Cabinet Ministers, 47 Ministers of State and three Ministers with Independent Charge look after about 93 departments of the Central Government. Meanwhile, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has detected more than 10,000 cyber attacks on various departments and ministries of the central and state governments in the last nine years, from 2014 to 2022, government data shows.

CERT-In is mandated to detect and monitor cyber security incidents in the country. Excluding government websites, around 12,691 cyber attacks were carried out on government health institutions during the same period. Concerned about hacking, the government has mandated various agencies to audit websites. It has taken several measures to prevent data and cyber breaches.