Ministry of Defence restricts Internet access for personnel

NEW DELHI: The defence ministry has tightened rules on cyber security after recent incidents of hacking came to light, restricting Internet access for personnel as well as reiterating directions not to use Wi-Fi and Bluetoothenabled devices in South Block.

More worryingly, an internal audit of computer systems at the high-security defence ministry headquarters has revealed rampant breach of cyber safety measures that had been put in place, including classified documents being stored on vulnerable computers connected to the Internet.

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“Recently, some incidents of alleged hacking of computers in the Ministry of Defence have come to notice. During cyber security checks carried out in different offices, major cyber security breaches have been observed,” a defence ministry note dated December 18 reads. Among the violations recorded were “Internet usage without security clearance, classified documents on Internet PCs and Internet-connected PCs being used for official work.” Instructions have been issued to strictly follow cyber security protocols that forbid this.

“Use of dongles on Internet, presence of Bluetooth/Wi-Fi features on laptop and PCs which are strictly prohibited have been detected in a few offices,” the note said.

Cyber security has been a major concern for the defence ministry, especially as attempts have been made in the past to target personnel based in South Block. In April 2015, a Singapore-based firm uncovered a large-scale cyber espionage network allegedly linked to the Chinese government that had been active for 10 years, infecting computer systems of key individuals and organisations.