India's Top Cyber Security Official Refutes Reports Of Internet Shutdown
NEW DELHI: After reports suggested that internet users across the globe may experience widespread network failures over the next 48 hours, a top government cyber security coordinator emphasized today that there will not be any internet shutdown in India.
"All arrangements are in place and there will be no internet shutdown in India as is being circulated in the media," Gulshan Rai, National Cyber Security Coordinator, told NDTV.
News agency ANI had quoted the portal Russia Today as reporting that key domain servers would be down because of routine maintenance work over the next two days, which could result in internet users facing difficulties in accessing web pages or making any transactions in the next 48 hours.
The ANI report said the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) would carry out the maintenance work by changing the cryptographic key that helps protect the internet's address book or the Domain Name System (DNS). This has been necessitated to counter rising incidents of cyberattacks, ICANN was quoted as saying.
When NDTV reached out to ICANN, it clarified that the original report's headline is "click bait", and that there would be minimum impact to users.
"Unfortunately, that story carries a headline that is a click bait. There will be minimal impact to users. Note that data analysis suggests that more than 99% of users whose resolvers are validating will be unaffected," an ICANN spokesperson from Singapore told NDTV.
"It has been about 20 hours since the rollover and based on all information we have, everything is going smoothly. There have been only a small handful of reports of issues suspected to be caused by the rollover. In all cases it appears the impact was minor and the issues were quickly resolved," the spokesperson added.
The ANI report had the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) saying that the global internet shutdown was necessary for ensuring a secure, stable and resilient Domain Name System. "To further clarify, some internet users might be affected if their network operators or Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have not prepared for this change. However, this impact can be avoided by enabling the appropriate system security extensions," it said.
Courtesy: www.ndtv.com
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After fake ID crackdown, IRCTC daily new accounts down to 5000 from one lakh: Railways
New Delhi (PTI): With a new, stringent system to establish user identity, the number of new user IDs being added daily on the IRCTC website has declined to about 5,000 from nearly one lakh, officials said on Saturday.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw noted that the crackdown by Indian Railways on train ticket booking through fake identities is yielding positive results, according to a press note.
Before the latest reforms, this number had touched nearly one lakh new user IDs per day, it said.
"Following the introduction of a stringent system to establish user identity and detect fake IDs, about 5,000 new user IDs are now being added daily on the IRCTC website," the note said.
The officials stated that these steps have already helped Indian Railways deactivate 3.03 crore fake accounts.
"Another 2.7 crore user IDs have either been temporarily suspended or identified for suspension based on the suspicious activities they are indulging in," they said.
The Union minister directed officials to ensure that the ticketing system is reformed to a level where all travellers are able to book tickets easily through a real and genuine user ID, the press note added.
Additionally, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed officials to provide local cuisine of the region in Vande Bharat trains.
Introducing local cuisine that reflects the culture and tastes of the regions being traversed will significantly enhance the passenger experience, officials said.
This facility will be expanded to all the trains progressively in future, they added.
