In what ways does the spyware Pegasus poses a serious threat to the government of India and data privacy of the citizens? How should the Government respond to such threats and prevent them in future?(200 Words)
Refer - The Indian Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 5 years
KEY POINTS
· Pegasus is a spyware which spy on people through their phones.
· Pegasus works by sending an exploit link, and if the target user clicks on the link, the malware or the code that allows the surveillance is installed on the user’s phone.
· Once Pegasus is installed, the attacker has complete access to the target user’s phone.
Threat in various ways
· Pegasus can “send back the target’s private data, including passwords, contact lists, calendar events, text messages, and live voice calls from popular mobile messaging apps”.
· The target’s phone camera and microphone can be turned on to capture all activity in the phone’s vicinity, expanding the scope of the surveillance.
· Pegasus has the ability to access password-protected devices, being totally transparent to the target, leaving no trace on the device, consuming minimal battery, memory and data so as to not arouse suspicion in more alert users, a self-destruct mechanism in case of risk of exposure, and ability to retrieve any file for deeper analysis.
· The very popularity of a messaging app makes it a target for hackers, cyber criminals, or other entities.
· Even law enforcement agencies across the world want messages to be decrypted — a demand that WhatsApp is fighting, including in India.
· WhatsApp uses the Signal app protocol for its end-to-end encryption, which seems safe so far.
Governments response
· The ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) along with the Supreme Court must finalise the social media intermediary guidelines.
· Implementing the Cyber security policy 2013 effectively by establishing critical infrastructure across the country.
· Centralised and coordinated response has disseminated effectively from Computer emergency response team.
· Government of India should convince the social media giants to trace the source of messages and prevent them from spreading.
Manojkumar B 5 years
Kindly review
IAS Parliament 5 years
Good answer. Keep Writing.
Lalaji 5 years
Where to find the points like steps taken by govment and way forward ?
IAS Parliament 5 years
Refer Cyber security policy 2013. Keep Following.
hema 5 years
Kindly review thank you
IAS Parliament 5 years
Good attempt. Keep Writing.
DHARU 5 years
Kindly review!!
IAS Parliament 5 years
Good attempt. Keep Writing.
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