Launch of Central Suspect Registry to Combat Cyber Crimes

Introduction

US President Biden takes a step by signing a key executive order to manage the risks posed by AI. The new presidential order on Artificial intelligence (AI) sets rules on the rapidly growing technology that has big potential but also covers risks. The presidential order was signed on 30th October 2023. It is a strong action that the US president has taken on AI safety and security. This order will require the developers to work on the most powerful AI model to share their safety test results with the government before releasing their product to the public. It also includes developing standards for ethically using AI and for detecting AI-generated content and labelling it as such. Tackling the many dangers of AI as it rapidly advances, the technology poses certain risks by replacing human workers, spreading misinformation and stealing people's data. The white house is also making clear that this is not just America’s problem and that the US needs to work with the world to set standards here and to ensure the responsible use of AI. The white house is also urging Congress to do more and pass comprehensive privacy legislation. The order includes new safety guidelines for AI developers, standards to disclose AI-generated content and requirements for federal agencies that are utilising AI. The white house says that it is the strongest action that any government has taken on AI safety and security. In the most recent events, India has reported the biggest ever data breach, where data of 815 million Indians has been leaked. ICMR is the Indian Council of Medical Research and is the imperial medical research institution of India. 

Key highlights of the presidential order

The presidential order requires developers to share safety test results. It focuses on developing standards, tools & tests to ensure safe AI. It will ensure protection from AI-enabled frauds and protect Americans' privacy, advance equity and civil rights, stand up for consumers and workers, promote innovation and competition, protect against risks of using AI to engineer dangerous material and provide guidelines for detecting AI -AI-generated content and establishing overall standards for AI safety and security.

Online content authentication and labelling 

Biden administration has asked the Department of Commerce to set guidelines to help authenticate content coming from the government, meaning the American people should be able to trust official documents coming from the government. So, focusing on content authentication, they have also talked about labelling AI-generated content, making the differentiation between a real authentic piece of content and something that has been manipulated or generated using AI. 

ICMR Breach

On 31/10/2023, an American intelligence and cybersecurity agency flagged the biggest-ever data breach, putting the data of 81.5 crore Indians at stake and at at potential risk of making its way to the dark market. The cyber agency has informed that a ‘threat actor’, also known as  ‘pwn001’ shared a thread on Breach Forums, which is essentially claimed as the ‘premier Databreach discussion and leaks forum’. The forum confirms a breach of 81.5 crore Indians. As of today,, ICRM has not issued any official statement, but it has informed the government that the prestigious Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will be taking on the investigation and apprehending the cybercriminals behind the cyber attack. The bad actor’s alias, 'pwn001,' made a post on X (formerly Twitter); the post informed that Aadhaar and passport information, along with personal data such as names, phone numbers, and addresses. It is claimed that the data was extracted from the COVID-19 test details of citizens registered with ICMR. This poses a serious threat to the Indian Netizen from any form of cybercrime from anywhere in the world. 

Conclusion:

The US presidential order on AI is a move towards making Artificial intelligence safe and secure. This is a major step by the Biden administration, which is going to protect both Americans and the world from the considerable dangers of AI.  The presidential order requires developing standards, tools, and tests to ensure AI safety. The US administration will work with allies and global partners, including India, to develop a strong international framework to govern the development and use of AI. It will ensure the responsible use of AI. With the passing of legislation such as the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, it is pertinent that the Indian government works towards creating precautionary and preventive measures to protect Indian data. As the evolution of cyber laws is coming along, we need to keep an eye on emerging technologies and update/amend our digital routines and hygienes to stay safe and secure. 

References:

• https://m.dailyhunt.in/news/india/english/lokmattimes+english-epaper-lokmaten/biden+signs+landmark+executive+order+to+manage+ai+risks-newsid-n551950866?sm=Y
• https://www.hindustantimes.com/technology/in-indias-biggest-data-breach-personal-information-of-81-5-crore-people-leaked-101698719306335-amp.html?utm_campaign=fullarticle&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=inshorts

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Introduction

In the dynamic realm of online gaming, where virtual worlds and competitive landscapes converge, ensuring the safety of players has become an imperative task. As the digital gaming community expands, so do the challenges of navigating potential risks and threats. There is a need for crucial strategies and measures aimed at safeguarding players and fostering a secure environment where gamers can fully immerse themselves in their passion without compromising their well-being. Online gaming, a thriving industry, makes gamers attractive targets for cyber theft, including account takeovers (ATO). ATO involves stealing characters, inventory, in-game currencies, achievements, and skins, with high-level accounts as prime targets. Gamers face real-life consequences as fraud within games can compromise personal information, including location, credentials, credit card details, and more. Protecting oneself involves maintaining privacy in sharing information, enabling two-factor authentication, and employing strong, unique passwords with security solutions that provide additional safeguards for an uninterrupted gaming experience.

Online Gaming Carries The Following Major Risks

Viruses and malware: Searching for less expensive or free downloads of your preferred games puts you in danger of accidentally downloading malware and viruses.

Theft of identity: Hackers gather information that is personally identifiable to create victimised identities. The chat feature is one of the possible risks of playing video games online with random people.

Invasion of a profile: It's not advisable to use an identical password and username across all of your preferred video game platforms since if hackers manage to obtain your login information, they may hack all of your player accounts and perhaps take control of them.

Swatting and doxing: Doxxing is the practice of hackers publishing your residential location or telephone number online after obtaining your private data. Swatting is a dangerous harassment tactic originating from online gaming, involving false emergency reports to provoke an excessive police response at the unsuspecting victim's location.

How Hacking Poses Serious Risks to Online Gaming Security

The video game industry has experienced rapid growth in recent times, catering to millions of players throughout the globe who relish an extensive array of engaging adventures. But because of its widespread use, hackers are now more likely to target it in an attempt to take advantage of its weaknesses.

Hackers are drawn to the gaming business for a number of reasons.

Due to its enormous income potential, this sector is an appealing option for investment. Players' large audience offers a treasure trove of private data that can be used for fraudulent transactions and other nefarious activities. Because of its high exposure, the sector is a tempting target for attackers looking to achieve recognition or make an impression. Customers wish to add modifications, cheats, or other external software to their contest, which increases the threat. In this sector, there is fierce competition, and winners take home large cash awards. This encourages players to use DDoS attacks to their advantage in order to outperform their rivals.

Importance of Secure Servers

Upgrade server applications and Modifications

Maintaining the most recent versions of all server software is a basic step in gaming server security. Updates and patches are regularly released by developers to address security flaws, therefore it's imperative to install them right away. If you ignore updates, your server becomes vulnerable to known vulnerabilities and a prime target for cybercriminals.

Put Strict Access Controls in Place

It is essential to manage who has permission to access your gaming system to avoid violations and unwanted access. Use strong password regulations and mandate complicated passwords for administrators on the system.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) into place

Restrict access rights to those who need them for administrative tasks to lessen the possibility of unlicensed individuals taking over a server.Safety Measures Players should be urged to adhere to best practices, which include:

Using secure passwords.

Avoid clicking on dubious links.

Updating software & apps regularly.

Upgrading antivirus software regularlyImproving cybersecurity practices and bringing attention to possible risks can greatly improve the general population's safety in gaming.

Conclusion

The internet gaming industry's rapid expansion has resulted in increased security threats in addition to recreation. Players confront various threats, including growing hacking attempts, sensitive information leaks, malware, identity theft, and doxing. To reduce these dangers, secure servers are essential. They emphasise the importance of frequent upgrades, restricting access, and user training. It becomes essential to enable security measures to keep ahead of emerging dangers. Enhancing safety measures guarantees a more secure gaming environment, safeguarding the large population that participates in this quickly changing digital space.

References

‍https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/unlocking-power-player-behavior-analysis-anybraingg/?trk=organization_guest_main-feed-card_feed-article-content

‍https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/threats/top-10-online-gaming-risks

‍https://www.imperva.com/blog/cyber-attacks-gaming-industry/

‍https://www.techslang.com/securing-gaming-servers-cybersecurity-best-practices-for-online-gaming-communities/

‍https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/1/13/16888710/barris-swatting-death-charges

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Introduction 

The geographical world has physical boundaries, but the digital one has a different architecture and institutions are underprepared when it comes to addressing cybersecurity breaches. Cybercrime, which may lead to economic losses, privacy violations, national security threats and have psycho-social consequences,  is forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029, reaching an estimated cost of at least 6.4 trillion U.S. dollars (Statista). As cyber threats become persistent and ubiquitous, they are becoming a critical governance challenge. Lawmakers around the world need to collaborate on addressing this emerging issue.

Cybersecurity Governance and its Structural Elements

Cybersecurity governance refers to the strategies, policies, laws, and institutional frameworks that guide national and international preparedness and responses to cyber threats to governments, private entities, and individuals. Effective cybersecurity governance ensures that digital risks are managed proactively while balancing security with fundamental rights like privacy and internet freedom. It includes, but is not limited to :

1. Policies and Legal Frameworks: Laws that define the scope of cybercrime, cybersecurity responsibilities, and mechanisms for data protection. Eg: India’s National Cybersecurity Policy (NCSP) of 2013, Information Technology Act, 2000, and Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, EU’s Cybersecurity Act (2019), Cyber Resilience Act (2024), Cyber Solidarity Act (2025), and NIS2 Directive (2022), South Africa’s Cyber Crimes Act (2021), etc.
2. Regulatory Bodies: Government agencies such as data protection authorities, cybersecurity task forces, and other sector-specific bodies. Eg: India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Europe’s  European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), and others.
3. Public-Private Knowledge Sharing: The sharing of the private sector’s expertise and the government’s resources plays a crucial role in improving enforcement and securing critical infrastructure. This model of collaboration is followed in the EU, Japan, Turkey, and the USA. 
4. Research and Development: Apart from the technical, the cyber domain also includes military, politics, economy, law, culture, society, and other elements. Robust, multi-sectoral research is necessary for formulating international and regional frameworks on cybersecurity. 

Challenges to Cybersecurity Governance 

Governments face several challenges in securing cyberspace and protecting critical assets and individuals despite the growing focus on cybersecurity. This is because so far the focus has been on cybersecurity management, which, considering the scale of attacks in the recent past, is not enough. Stakeholders must start deliberating on the aspect of governance in cyberspace while ensuring that this process is multi-consultative. (Savaş & Karataş 2022). Prominent challenges which need to be addressed are: 

• Dynamic Threat Landscape: The threat landscape in cyberspace is ever-evolving.  Bad actors are constantly coming up with new ways to carry out attacks, using elements of surprise, adaptability, and asymmetry aided by AI and quantum computing. While cybersecurity measures help mitigate risks and minimize damage, they can’t always provide definitive solutions. E.g., the pace of malware development is much faster than that of legal norms, legislation, and security strategies for the protection of information technology (IT). (Efe and Bensghir 2019).
• Regulatory Fragmentation and Compliance Challenges: Different countries, industries, or jurisdictions may enforce varying or conflicting cybersecurity laws and standards, which are still evolving and require rapid upgrades. This makes it harder for businesses to comply with regulations, increases compliance costs, and jeopardizes the security posture of the organization. 
• Trans-National Enforcement Challenges: Cybercriminals operate across jurisdictions, making threat intelligence collection, incident response, evidence-gathering, and prosecution difficult.  Without cross-border agreements between law enforcement agencies and standardized compliance frameworks for organizations, bad actors have an advantage in getting away with attacks. 
• Balancing Security with Digital Rights: Striking a balance between cybersecurity laws and privacy concerns (e.g., surveillance laws vs. data protection) remains a profound challenge,  especially in areas of CSAM prevention and identifying terrorist activities. Without a system of checks and balances, it is difficult to prevent government overreach into domains like journalism, which are necessary for a healthy democracy, and Big Tech’s invasion of user privacy. 

The Road Ahead: Strengthening Cybersecurity Governance 

All domains of human life- economy, culture, politics, and society- occur in digital and cyber environments now. It follows naturally, that governance in the physical world translates into governance in cyberspace. It must be underpinned by features consistent with the principles of openness, transparency, participation, and accountability, while also protecting human rights. In cyberspace, the world is stateless and threats are rapidly evolving with innovations in modern computing. Thus, cybersecurity governance requires a global, multi-sectoral approach utilizing the rules of international law, to chart out problems, and solutions, and carry out detailed risk analyses. (Savaş & Karataş 2022). 

References

• https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1280009/cost-cybercrime-worldwide#statisticContainer
• https://link.springer.com/article/10.1365/s43439-021-00045-4#citeas 
• https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/cybersecurity-policies#ecl-inpage-cybersecurity-strategy 

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