The definition of weapons of destruction has changed by the changing times. Swords, guns, bombs, nuclear weapons, and chemical bombs are past us now! The modern era is witnessing a new mode of destruction, Cyber hacks.

Many countries of the world have built up cyber security forces to protect their online data and information from potential threats like hacking, phishing, and spamming.

India however, has not yet taken cyber crime seriously. The country has been on the receiving end lately and has recorded some major cyber crime cases. The Bangalore Facebook Id Password hack fiasco in November being the latest one in the long list.

It is disappointing to realise that a country like India is not well prepared to deal with enemy internet invasions. Indian authorities lack a planned secured  military cyber command and follow lenient regulatory steps to deal with cyber invasions from countries like China, Pakistan and others.

In the high profile Cyber security conference held in Munich on 5th Feb 2012, the deliberations on cyber security indicated the perplexed approach of some nations in avoiding cyber crimes and hack invasions.

Although India’s presence hardly figured in the discussion, it was evident that a country like India needed to pull up their socks in order to deal with the ever increasing cyber threats. It is a known fact that many new terrorist organizations are using modern technology as a shield to disguise and confuse the security system of the country.

Swedish Foreign Minister, Mr. Carl Bildt expressed the fear of losing valuable data to terrorist and hackers due to improper Cyber management and security system. He said,

“ Stealing and using Stuxnet (A worm used to sabotage nuclear devices) might be more easy and dangerous than nuclear weapons.”

Well planned cyber attacks can cripple a nation’s economy, strategic networks, banking and communication infostructure and military assets. Unlike other attacks, here the enemy remains largely unknown and the attack carries a huge risk factor.

Recent past has seen Chinese hackers infiltrating the Indian diplomat’s classified documents and stealing valuable information related to India’s security, defence and military. If India wants to avoid such invasions, serious steps regarding this issue must be taken.