Uttarakhand News: The cyber attack in Uttarakhand on October 3 has shaken the IT infrastructure of the state. The state's Information Technology Development Agency (ITDA) has not yet recovered from it. The biggest target of this cyber attack was the police's Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS), which is connected to 160 police stations in the state. Through this attack, cyber criminals demanded ransom in bitcoin, after which this ransomware attack was revealed.

Ransomware attack is a type of cyber attack in which criminals lock a system through malware and demand ransom in return. If the ransom is not paid, the criminals threaten to damage the system's data. Something similar happened in this attack on Uttarakhand Police's crime network CCTNS. Immediately after the attack, ITDA shifted important websites to a secure network. But, it is not yet known whether the cyber attack took place from within the country or from another country.

The STF (Special Task Force) team and cyber experts are continuously engaged in the investigation
. Along with this, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and other central agencies are also cooperating in the investigation of the case. In this case, STF DIG Senthil Abudai said that the cyber attack was on the entire system. When CCTNS came under its purview, our team immediately identified it. A case has been registered in the matter and our team is engaged in investigating this attack. 

Given the seriousness of the matter, the NIA and other central agencies, such as the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), are also investigating the matter. These agencies, along with the ITDA, are investigating the technical aspects of the cyber attack. The aim of this attack was not only to lock the data but also to paralyze the state's police network and extort ransom. 

Questions raised on cyber security
This attack has also raised questions on the cyber security system of ITDA. ITDA is responsible for the security of important websites and networks of the state, but after this cyber attack on October 3, it has become clear that there are still many flaws in the cyber security system of the state. Although ITDA took immediate action and shifted the websites to a secure network, it has failed so far to identify the cyber criminals. 

Ransomware is a dangerous malware that cyber criminals lock after entering a system. After this, the criminals demand ransom in exchange for unlocking the system, and if the ransom is not paid, they threaten to damage the data. In this attack too, the criminals had demanded ransom in bitcoins, but instead of complying with this demand, the police and other agencies have intensified the investigation of the cyber attack.