Anti-Phishing Unit
To address the growing problem of phishing, Maharashtra Cyber, the nodal agency for Cyber Security under the Home Department, Govt. of Maharashtra has envisaged an Anti-Phishing Unit, a specialised team that will enact all measures required to help detect and act on such cases as-soon-as possible through focused coordination.
To setup a dedicated anti-phishing unit that will help report, resolve, curband spread awareness against Phishing.
To establish a first-of-its kind dedicated web portal for users to report their phishing/financial identity theft incidents on.
To make available a web portal, 24 x 7 helpline, dedicated WhatsApp account and an email ID for the same.
To coordinate with nodals of various Cyber Police Units across India and abroad to help resolve/report such cases and prioritise action on them as-soon-as possible.
To associate with nodals of various banks, social media, e-Wallets, etc so as to take action, undo damage and be prepared as much as possible.
To establish linkages with APWG, various Cyber Security Companies, Industry Bodies, Industry Experts, etc to develop more effective anti-phishing measures and help institutionalising awareness against it.
To focus on awareness building against phishing among all sections of society with key focus on vulnerable sections like senior citizens, rural population, etc.
To have a restricted-access dashboard for unit members to view, update and analyse all such reported complaints.
Successful execution of this initiative will require coordination between various nodals (Banks, e-Wallets, Social Media Organisations, etc), co-ordinated action with various Cyber Police Units of various states and CERT-IN, international law enforcement agencies and national regulators like NPCI. The unit might also require to talk to domain registrars, payment service providers, etc to blacklist and restrict access to such miscreants.
The citizens will obviously be the key both from the input end, where they will report various such phishing schemes, as-well-as on the outreach end where Anti-Phishing Unit by self and through associations with various bodies will reach out to them to spread awareness and address their concerns.
Unit
- Telcos
- Banks
- Other Nodals
- ISPs, Browsers, etc
- e-Wallet
- Domain Registers
- Industry Associations, Expert Groups, Global Consortiums, ect
- Other LEAs (Regional/National/Global) CERT-In, APWG
- Citizens - Web Portal, Phone, Email - Outreach initiatives of APU
Fig. Coordination of citizens, nodals of financial organisations, cyber police units and industryand experts with the Anti-Phishing Unit team.
Maharashtra Cyber
Maharashtra Cyber is a nodal agency established by the Government of Maharashtra to tackle cyber crimes and other digital threats. It is engaged in building Cyber Infrastructure for Maharashtra, including Cyber Police Stations, anti-piracy systems, predictive policing systems, awareness about cyber crimesand initiatives, etc.
Maharashtra Cyber is currently working on the development of an integrated technological environment for Maharashtra through the Maharashtra Cyber Security Project. The department through its efforts made Maharashtra the first state in the country to have 47 cyber-police stations and 51 Cyber Labs to expedite the criminal investigation cycle. This project has 4 major components,
- Technology Assisted Investigation (TAI),
- Technology Assisted Policing and Analytics Centre (TAPAC),
- Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-MH),
- Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Cyber Security
Maharashtra Cyber is also involved in developing Automated Multimodal Biometric Identification system (AMBIS), which is a state-of-the-art system envisaging Iris, Facial, Fingerprints and Palm prints for identification of the criminals.
Maharashtra Cyber has established a multi-stakeholder anti-piracy unit to fight against online piracy in cyberspace. Maharashtra Cyber Digital Crime Unit(MCDCU) has been successful in taking down many piracy websites in its efforts and thus also strengthening the IPR regime in the country.
