In the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Tagore said more than 600 social media accounts of the central government had been hacked in the last five years. Responding to a question on hacking of the government’s Twitter handle and e-mail accounts, the minister said 641 such accounts have been hacked since 2017.
175 accounts were hacked in 2017, 114 in 2018, 61 in 2019, 77 in 2020, 186 in 2021 and so far this year, he said in a written reply.
Tagore said the information was provided by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
Asked about the steps taken by the government to prevent such intrusions in the future, the minister said that CERT-In was set up to enhance cyber security. It regularly issues warnings and advice on the latest cyber threats and remedies to ensure the safe use of digital technology.
“CERT-In has issued 68 recommendations for organizations and users to protect information and mitigate fraudulent activity.
“In monitoring the compromise of website / e-mail / Twitter account, CERT-In notifies the affected companies with remedial action. Companies, ”the minister said.
CERT-In operates an automated cyber-threat exchange platform to actively collect, analyze and share appropriate alerts with companies across different sectors for active threat mitigation by them.
He said security tips have been released for users to keep their desktops, mobile / smart phones safe and prevent phishing attacks.
“The CERT-IN has set up the National Cyber Coordination Center (NCCC) to create the necessary situational awareness about existing and potential cyber security threats. The first phase of the NCCC is underway,” the minister said.