New Delhi: As Union Ministers and other senior Central government officials have been assigned with the task of receiving world leaders, coming for the G20 summit, at the airport in New Delhi, the Indian security establishment has taken all steps to protect the dignitaries from all possible cyberattacks.
Officials from the Union Home Ministry’s cyber unit told ETV Bharat that the Computer Emergency Response Team has been handling the cybersecurity at the Summit site, whereas the rest of Delhi is being secured by the cybersecurity wing of the Delhi Police.
“All possible precautions have been put in place by the threat of cyber attacks originating from Pakistan and China,” a senior official said. The official said that the government agencies are aware of the present situation where hackers always try to steal classified information. In fact, a “zero trust” model has been put in force for strong authentication and authorisation for every device and person before any access or data transfer takes place on a private network.
A maximum cyber alert has been sounded in all 28 hotels where VVIPs and delegates would be staying throughout the summit. The official added that cyber squads have been stationed at ITC Maurya where US President Joe Biden has put in.
Similar arrangements have been made for Shangri-La, The Lalit, Claridges, Radisson Blu, Taj Hotel, Pride Plaza, Vivanta by Taj, Hotel Grand, Ambassador by Taj, Eros Hotel, The Ashok, Hyatt Regency, JW Marriott, Pullman, Roseate, Andaz Delhi, The Lodhi, The Leela, The Suryaa, The Sheraton at Saket, Oberoi Gurgaon, Leela Gurgaon, Trident Gurgaon, Imperial Delhi, The Oberoi, and ITC Bharat Gurgaon.
The "zero trust" model relies on strong authentication and authorisation for every device and person before any access or data transfer takes place on a private network. “No matter if they are inside or outside that network’s perimeter, zero trust is applicable. There will be constant monitoring of all IT assets,” the official said. The initiative, according to the official, was taken during a recent meeting in the Home Ministry where instances of cyberattacks during G20 Summits were discussed by top cyber experts and security officials.
The Paris G20 Summit in 2011, the G20 Summit in Brisbane in 2014 and the Hamburg G20 Summit in 2017 also came under severe cyber-attacks.
Also read: Absence of Putin, Xi from G20 Summit: The impact on geopolitics in Indo-Pacific and beyond
