May 10,
2008: Indian government and military
Internet security officials have been comparing notes, and have raised the
alarm about Internet based attacks, and suspicious activity, coming from China.
Particularly worrying is the probing of India's Internet infrastructure. This
is a sign that China is mapping the Indian Internet, a necessary prerequisite
to taking it down in wartime, or tampering with it in peacetime.
Indian
security experts are also alarmed by the Internet based attacks on Estonian
business and government targets last year. Russia denied any responsibility,
but the attacks did come from Russia, and they were successful. It's these
"undeclared war" attacks that are particularly worrying. It means a rather
damaging Internet conflict could take place, as an undeclared war. As a result,
there are proposals to shore up defenses, and develop some offensive
capability.
The
government has been reluctant to proceed, fearful of spoiling the improving
relations with China. Moreover, much of the Internet mischief coming out of
China is, by general acknowledgment, just criminals out to steal. But Internet
security experts insist that, hidden among all the criminal operations, is
military activity, that is setting India up to take a fall in any future Cyber
War. For the moment, the diplomats have more influence than the Cyber Warriors.
