Cyber warfare is considered by some defense analysts to be a larger threat than even Al Qaeda or terrorism. What do you understand by Cyber warfare? Outline the cyber threats which India is vulnerable to and bring out the state of the country’s preparedness to deal with the same. (UPSC 2013)

Cyber warfare is the use of digital means by states or state-backed actors to spy on, disrupt, degrade or destroy another country’s networks and critical systems.

Threats to India: Malware, ransomware, phishing, logic bombs and DDoS attacks can target power, banking, telecom, satellites, transport and defence, causing espionage, sabotage, data theft and service disruption in the grey zone below open war.

Preparedness: India has CERT-In, NCIIPC, the Defence Cyber Agency, sectoral CSIRTs and the IT Act, and cyber audits and incident reporting have improved; however, response remains fragmented, cyber skills and hygiene are uneven, and law, doctrine and coordination are still inadequate for a major state-led cyber conflict.

India needs stronger coordination, secure supply chains, regular drills, skilled manpower and a clear national cyber doctrine.