Govt steps up vigil as cyberattacks rise since Pahalgam terror attack

Tells Cert-in, banks, power stations to be on high alert
Aashish Aryan Shreya Jai Harsh Kumar New Delhi
Listen to This Article
The central government has asked all digital systems to remain in a state of high alert in anticipation of possible cyberattacks on critical digital infrastructures, sources told Business Standard on Wednesday. These infrastructures include power generating stations, national electricity grid, banks, hospitals, defence installations, telecom companies, and public sector enterprises (PSEs).
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) has asked the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (Cert-In) to remain on constant vigil against possible cyberattacks, including distributed denial of service (DDOS), malware, denial of service (DOS), and social engineering, a senior government official said.
'We have observed an increase

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Business Standard

an hour ago

• Business Standard

Hormuz blockade may shrink Russian crude discounts for Indian refiners

Indian refiners may end up paying higher prices for Russian oil delivered in August due to escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz—a key transit route for around 40 per cent of India's crude imports and more than half of its LNG supplies—industry sources said. The threat of an Iranian blockade has added pressure to shipping costs and tightened the global supply of Middle Eastern oil, prompting refiners to brace for reduced discounts on Russian crude. August negotiations underway Indian refiners began negotiations this week with Russian suppliers for August-loading crude, typically done 45 days ahead of delivery, a trader at a state-owned refiner said. While volumes may remain stable or decline, demand from countries like Turkey is intensifying. Over 70 per cent of India's Russian oil consists of the medium, sour Urals grade—also preferred by Turkish refiners, particularly amid disrupted Middle East flows. Discounts fall as freight and demand rise Russian oil discounts may fall to their lowest levels in months due to higher shipping costs and increased competition, two refinery traders told Business Standard. Russia currently supplies four out of every ten barrels of oil imported by India. 'We may have to pay more for Russian oil because the discounts on the grades may shrink,' said a senior trader at a state-run oil company. Discounts could narrow by 20–40 cents per barrel, potentially falling below $2 per barrel, refining sources said. For context, discounts stood at $10–$15 per barrel in 2023 and $5–$8 earlier this year. Tighter margins could impact the gross refining margins of Indian refiners, they added. Reliance, PSUs face squeeze on discounts At present, Indian state-run refiners secure discounts of about $2.50 per barrel on Russian crude, priced against the European Dated Brent benchmark on a delivered basis. Reliance Industries, the country's top Russian oil importer, obtains a higher $3-per-barrel discount under a 500,000 barrels-per-day term deal signed with Rosneft in December. Most Russian supplies to India, however, are purchased on the spot market. Espo demand from China may rise India may also face stiffer competition from China for the East Siberia–Pacific Ocean (Espo) grade in August, particularly as Chinese refiners lose access to Iranian crude due to ongoing conflict, an Indian refining executive said. China does not typically purchase Urals but prefers Espo, a lighter crude. India's purchases of Espo have increased this year amid China's declining demand. But with Iranian supply constraints, China's dependence on Espo may rise again. This month, Espo was India's second-largest imported Russian grade, at 162,000 barrels per day, according to ship-tracking data. Russia remains top supplier Russian crude made up a record 45 per cent of India's total crude imports during the first 23 days of June, exceeding 2.2 million barrels per day, according to Paris-based intelligence firm Kpler. Urals inflows reached an all-time high of 1.6 million bpd. Reliance Industries accounted for 722,000 bpd—roughly a third of total Russian imports. State-run refiners, led by Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation, together imported about 52 per cent. The remainder comprised lighter grades such as CPC Russia, Espo, and Arco.

Business Standard

an hour ago

• Business Standard

No US visa if your social media profile isn't public: Embassy warns Indians

Indian students applying for US F, M, or J visas must now make their social media profiles public for screening, the US embassy has said Surbhi Gloria Singh New Delhi Planning to study in the US? You'll now have to make your social media accounts public before your visa interview. The US embassy in India has said that all applicants for F, M, or J non-immigrant visas—including students and exchange visitors—must ensure their social media profiles are set to 'public' to enable background checks. 'Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media accounts to public to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States under US law,' the embassy said in a post directed at student applicants on Monday. This follows the resumption of F-1 student visa processing after a brief suspension. But with the restart comes tighter scrutiny. Social media vetting already in place since 2019 The embassy said social media checks are not new, but the change now is that students must make those profiles publicly visible. 'Since 2019, the United States has required visa applicants to provide social media identifiers on immigrant and nonimmigrant visa application forms. We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to US national security,' the post read. What Indian students should keep in mind Education experts say visa success increasingly depends on how consistent and transparent students are—both online and offline. 'A key reason behind the success of applicants is the authenticity of the application and the intent that they are able to communicate to the visa officers. Therefore, students are advised to be honest and clear about their academic background, journey and goals,' Piyush Kumar, regional director (South Asia, Canada and Latin America) at IDP Education told Business Standard. 'Consistency and transparency help establish credibility. Applicants must ensure that the visa application forms are filled out accurately and reflect the same information shared during the interview and on their social media platforms,' he added. What you should do Make all social media profiles public before applying for the F, M or J visa • Ensure your application, interview answers, and online activity match • Do not post anything that contradicts your stated reason for travelling • Keep academic and career intentions clear and factual across platforms The US embassy has reiterated that holding a visa is not a right and that visas can be revoked if a person is found to be in violation of the law, even after arrival.

Business Standard

3 hours ago

• Business Standard

NTPC board seeks shareholders nod to raise up to ₹18,000 cr via bonds

Power giant NTPC will seek shareholders' nod to raise up to ₹18,000 crore through the issuance of NCDs or bonds on private placement in the domestic market. State-owned NTPC on Monday issued a notice of postal ballot to seek approval of the members by way of special resolution through remote e-voting regarding raising of funds through the issue of secured/ unsecured, redeemable, taxable/tax-free, cumulative/non-cumulative, non-convertible debentures (bonds/NCDs), amounting up to Rs 18,000 crore, according to a regulatory filing. The fund will be raised in one or more tranches/series not exceeding 12, through private placement in the domestic market during the period commencing from the date of passing of the special resolution till completion of one year thereof. On June 21, the company's board of directors considered and approved the draft notice of postal ballot in respect of seeking shareholders' approval for the issue of these NCDs. The company fixed June 20, 2025, as the cut-off date for the purpose of reckoning the names of members entitled to receive a postal ballot notice and voting rights. The remote e-voting will commence on June 24 and end on July 23. As the company is under capacity expansion mode, a major portion of its capital expenditure requirements has to be funded by debt, the notice explained. The company borrows in the form of NCDs, rupee term loans from banks and financial institutions, foreign currency borrowings, foreign currency bonds, etc. The NCDs are raised by the company under the public issue route or through a private placement basis. In addition to the capital expenditure requirement, the company needs to borrow to meet its working capital requirement and other general corporate purposes, which is partly proposed to be met through the issuance of NCDs. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)