{"id":78955,"date":"2026-07-11T17:48:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T12:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=78955"},"modified":"2026-07-11T17:48:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T12:18:28","slug":"crackdown-on-cybercrime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/11-07-2026\/crackdown-on-cybercrime","title":{"rendered":"Crackdown on Cybercrime"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Cybersecurity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has informed the Prime Minister about measures taken to combat rising cyber fraud in the country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Cybercrime?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cyber crime is the use of digital technologies such as computers and the internet to commit criminal activities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These cases are <strong>financial fraud<\/strong> (credit card fraud, online transaction fraud), <strong>crime against women and children <\/strong>with regard to sexually explicit material, and <strong>deep fake content<\/strong> etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>According to the <strong>Seventh Schedule<\/strong> of the Indian Constitution, cybercrimes are within the <strong>purview of State subjects.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cyber Crime Scenario in India:\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There were <strong>98 lakh cybercrime complaints <\/strong>registered between 2019 and 2026.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Only 2.3 lakh FIRs<\/strong> were registered, resulting in an FIR conversion rate of <strong>2.36%.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reported cybercrime losses<\/strong> (2021\u2013 2026): \u20b964,447 crore.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d6e0e6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d6e0e6;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"364\" height=\"395\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-111.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-78956\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-111.png 364w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-111-276x300.png 276w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 364px) 100vw, 364px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Reasons for increase in Cybercrime<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rapid Digitalization:<\/strong> With a growing number of individuals and businesses relying on the Internet and digital technologies there are more opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Large Internet User Base:<\/strong> India has <strong>95 crore<\/strong> Internet users. With a large population using the internet, there are more potential targets for cybercriminals, making it a lucrative market for cyberattacks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inadequate Cybersecurity Infrastructure: <\/strong>In India the cybersecurity infrastructure is still developing. Many organizations, especially smaller businesses, may not have robust cybersecurity measures in place, making them easy targets for cybercriminals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Insider Threats:<\/strong> Insider threats, where employees or individuals with access to sensitive information misuse it for malicious purposes, are a significant concern in India, particularly in the corporate sector.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Payment Systems Vulnerability:<\/strong> With the rise of digital payments and online transactions, there is an increased risk of financial crimes such as phishing, credit card fraud, and online scams.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In 2024, India saw UPI (Unified Payments Interface) transactions worth about <strong>Rs 20,64,000 crore<\/strong> which is <strong>46 percent<\/strong> of the global digital transactions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Low digital literacy:<\/strong> Lower awareness among the general public and digital gaps amongst nations create an unsustainable environment in the cyber domain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Effects of Cybercrime<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Financial Losses:<\/strong> Cybercrime leads to substantial financial losses for individuals and organizations through theft of funds, fraudulent activities, or the cost of restoring compromised systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Security Concerns:<\/strong> Cyberattacks with a geopolitical motive pose national security threats. The attacks target government agencies, critical infrastructure, or defense systems, compromising a nation&#8217;s security.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Data Breaches: <\/strong>The unauthorized access and theft of sensitive data compromises the confidentiality of personal and financial information, causing reputational damage and potential legal consequences.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Disruption of Services: <\/strong>Cyberattacks disrupt essential services and critical infrastructure, impacting businesses, governments, and individuals.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Loss of Intellectual Property: <\/strong>Businesses suffer from the theft of intellectual property, trade secrets, and proprietary information which undermine competitiveness and innovation, leading to economic repercussions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Steps for Cybersecurity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Information Technology Act, 2000:<\/strong> Section 43, 66, 70, and 74 of the IT Act, 2000 deal with hacking and cyber crimes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)<\/strong> issues alerts and advisories regarding latest cyber threats\/vulnerabilities and countermeasures to protect computers and networks on a regular basis.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC<\/strong>) has been set up to generate necessary situational awareness of existing and potential cyber security threats and enable timely information sharing for proactive, preventive and protective actions by individual entities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cyber Swachhta Kendra (Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre)<\/strong> has been launched for detection of malicious programs and provides free tools to remove the same.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Chakshu Facility:<\/strong> It is a newly introduced feature on the <strong>Sanchar Saathi portal <\/strong>that encourages citizens to proactively report suspected fraudulent communications received via call, SMS, or WhatsApp.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C): <\/strong>It<strong> <\/strong>was established in <strong>2018<\/strong> under the Central Sector Scheme within the Cyber and Information Security Division of the <strong>Ministry of Home Affairs.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It provides a framework and eco-system for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) to deal with Cybercrime in a coordinated and comprehensive manner.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>E-Zero FIR Initiative:<\/strong> Launched by the <strong>Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)<\/strong> to enable swift registration and investigation of cyber financial crime cases.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The system automatically converts cyber financial crimes filed at NCRP or 1930 to FIRs, initially above the threshold limit of <strong>\u20b910 lakh.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>International Measures<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Budapest Convention:<\/strong> It is the 1st international treaty to address cybercrime. India is not a signatory to the treaty.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN):<\/strong> It is a US-based not-for-profit organization for coordinating &amp; maintenance of several databases.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Internet Governance Forum:<\/strong> It is the <strong>United Nations forum<\/strong> for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue on Internet governance issues.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India is at the crossroads of digital transformation and cyber threats, where it has become both an iron pillar of progress and a magnet for cyber fraudsters.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Realising the vision of Digital India, the government\u2019s multi-layered cyber response team is facilitating fraud prevention and disrupting thousands of scam operations.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Advanced forensics, big data analytics, and indigenous tools have bolstered national cyber resilience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/e-zero-fir-cyber-fraud-pm-modi-mha-explained-10778340\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong><br \/>\nContext<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">\n<p>The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has informed the Prime Minister about measures taken to combat rising cyber fraud in the country.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>\nWhat is Cybercrime?<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"\t>\n<p>Cyber crime is the use of digital technologies such as computers and the internet to commit criminal activities.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">\n<p>These cases are financial fraud (credit card fraud, online transaction fraud), crime against women and children with regard to sexually explicit material, and deep fake content etc.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/11-07-2026\/crackdown-on-cybercrime \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78955"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78958,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78955\/revisions\/78958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}