A total of 12,13,784 cybersecurity incidents were reported to CERT-In up till October this year, according to a response by the Minister of State for Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar. Rajya Sabha MP Shreyams Kumar asked the question during the ongoing winter session of the Parliament. The data on cybersecurity incidents for 2021 without the last two months is still higher than the total number of cases—11,58,208—in 2020. Government organisations were the target in 32,736 incidents up till October 2021, whereas the figure stood at 54,314 last year. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) did not reveal whether critical infrastructure was a target in these incidents. What is CERT-In? Indian Computer Emergency Response Team is responsible for tracking and monitoring cybersecurity incidents in India. Why it matters: The figures revealed by CERT-In are a good indicator of the overall cybersecurity situation of the country, and as it stands, the situation looks grim with 2021 on track to be the biggest year in terms of cybersecurity incidents reported in India. How much is India spending on cybersecurity? The MeitY had revealed in response to a parliamentary question that it allocated Rs. 416 crore this year toward strengthening India’s cybersecurity. The answer was a response to questions posed by BJP Lok Sabha MPs Arjun Lal Meena and Sunil Kumar Singh during the monsoon session of the Parliament this year. The stipulated amount constitutes nearly four percent of the total budget allocation of the ministry. However, it is more than Rs. 310 crore…
