Editorial 1: A new troika for India’s northeast region
Context
- The region comprising India’s eight northeastern States (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim) is undergoing dramatic change. It has overcome several security challenges and is now heading toward economic development.
The troika
- Political changes in the region and the extensive web of linkages with neighbouring Bangladesh and Japan have emerged as significant development partners for both India.
- The third India Japan Intellectual Dialogue in April 2023, hosted by the Asian Confluence (ASCON), in Agartala, Tripura, was an ideal opportunity to assess the evolving thinking of experts and policymakers. It showed that the current decade may produce pathbreaking changes in the northeast, bringing the troika of Bangladesh, India and Japan closer.
Vision and opportunities
- One of the most important projects is the development of Matarbari Deep Sea Port (DSP) on the southeastern coast of Bangladesh. It is being constructed with Japanese assistance and is scheduled to be operational in 2027. A recent ASCON study envisages this port to be “a gamechanger”. The long-term vision is for northeast to become a hub and key industrial corridor of this region, serving a population of 220 million.
Significance of North – Eastern India:
- Strategic Location: North Eastern Region of India is a landlocked region, with no access to seas. This is complicated by the presence of the Siliguri Corridor, called chicken’s neck for India.
- Act East Policy: The North Eastern Region is geographically contiguous to Myanmar, which is a part of South-East Asia. Therefore, it has the potential to act as the Indian ‘Gateway to South East Asia’.
- Energy Resources: Due to the presence of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries, the North-Eastern region has immense potential as far as hydroelectric energy is concerned. Also it has been a source of crude oil and natural gas in the form of Digboi oil fields.
- Carbon Sink: India has vowed to create an additional 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon sink per year under its Nationally Determined Contributions as a part of the Paris Summit. North-Eastern India with its dense forest cover can play a huge role in such endeavour.
- Agricultural Resources: The North Eastern region is blessed with natural resources which are important for the economic growth of the country.
- Ecotourism and Environment: The North Eastern region can be a hub for tourist activity due to its lush green landscape, unique tribal culture, fresh air, comfortable climate and distinct topography.
The challenges
- Difficult Terrain: North Eastern Region is majorly a mountainous region which makes it difficult for the government schemes to be implemented in the area, because of the problem of access to the remote areas.
- Limited Connectivity: The North Eastern Region is a landlocked region. Therefore, it has limited access to the sea.
- Lack of Physical and Social Infrastructure: NER has complained of step motherly treatment from the mainland, especially in the context of development projects in the region. This is complicated by the absence of railway infrastructure in the region.
- Insurgency: One of the major regions for the lack of development in the region is the lack of political and social stability in the country.
- Backward Areas: Unlike the mainland, people of the North East Region are still content with a simple lifestyle and lack of technology in their day-to-day lives. The standard of living continues to be low, due to the absence of high-income generation opportunities.
Government of India Initiatives for the sustainable development of NER:
- North Eastern Council (NEC): It is a statutory body constituted under the North Eastern Council Act 1971. It is chaired by the Union Home Minister, while its Vice-chairman is the Minister of Development of the North Eastern Region.
- Peace Efforts: The government of India has tried its best to accommodate the demands of the tribal groups and other inhabitants in the region, within the framework of the Indian Constitution.
- Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Project
- Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Corridor
- Mission Organic Value Chain Development (MOVCD-NER)
- North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS)
- National Bamboo Mission
Way forward
- The government at the Centre must be vigilant about the developments in the region and take steps towards integrating North East India into the mainstream. Various stakeholders, the political parties, the citizens’ organizations, student groups, civil society etc. must work synergistically towards nation building activities.
- Also the goal of connecting a large part of South Asia with Southeast Asia through North-east requires an astute pilot. This leadership can come from the triad of Bangladesh, India and Japan (BIJ). A BIJ Forum should be launched first at the level of Foreign Ministers, a move that will be welcome in the northeast.
Conclusion
- Development of socio economic infrastructure, maximum utilization of natural resources, development of entrepreneurial culture and above all extending transnational ties will determine the future of Northeast in the near future is need of the hour.
Editorial 2: What is LockBit ransomware
Context
- In April 2023, in a first, reports emerged that LockBit ransomware was found to be targeting Mac devices. Cybercriminals have developed new ransomware encryptors designed to target macOS devices, making this the first major ransomware operation to specifically target Apple computers.
About LockBit ransomware
- The ransomware is dubbed as “abcd virus”, due to the file extension used when encrypting victim’s files, is designed to infiltrate victims’ systems and encrypt important files and was first reported in 2019.
- The virus is categorized as a “crypto virus” due to its requests for payment in cryptocurrency to decrypt files on the victim’s device and is therefore typically deployed against victims who feel hindered enough by the disruption to pay heavy sums in exchange for access to the files and can afford to do so.
- The gang behind the LockBit ransomware reportedly maintains a dark web portal to recruit members and release data of victims who refuse to meet their demands, as part of their business model. It operates on the ransomware as a service (Raas) model. In this model, willing parties put down a deposit for use in a custom attack and make profits through the ransom payment.
LockBit targeting macOS
- In the past, LockBit ransomware has been used to target enterprises and organisations in the U.S., China, India, Ukraine, and Indonesia. Attacks have also been recorded throughout Europe, Including France, Germany, and the U.K.
- Historically, ransomware has targeted Windows, Linux, and VMware ESXi servers but the gang is developing tools to target macOS and further increase the scope of attacks to bring in more financial gains for the operation.
The working
- It works as a self spreading malware, not requiring additional instructions once it has successfully infiltrated a single device with access to an organizational intranet. It is also known to hide executable encryption files by disguising them in the.png format, thereby avoiding detection by system defences.
- Attackers use phishing tactics and other social engineering methods to impersonate trusted personnel or authorities to lure victims into sharing credentials.
- Once it has gained access, the ransomware prepares the system to release its encryption payload across as many devices as possible.
- It then disables security programs and other infrastructures that could permit system data recovery. The goal is to ensure that data recovery without assistance from the LockBit gang is impossible.
- After this is ensured, the ransomware places an encryption lock on all system files, which can only be unlocked via a custom key created by the LockBit gang. Victims are then left with no choice but to contact the LockBit gang and pay up for the data, which the gang may sell on the dark web.
Protecting systems against the ransomware
- While there are no fool proof ways of protecting against ransomware attacks, organisations and individuals can take certain steps to increase resilience against such cyber threats.
- The use of strong passwords, with strong variations of special characters which are not easy togues along with multifactor authentication should be implemented.
- Organisations can also undertake training exercises to educate employees on the use of phishing attacks and their identification.
- Old and unused user accounts should be deactivated and closed as they can become weak links in the security apparatus.
- Additionally, organisations and individuals should have an understanding of cybersecurity threats and vulnerable points that may be exploited by cybercriminals.
India and cyber security
- Recently, the premier medical institute in the country, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi (AIIMS) was crippled by a major cyberattack. A simultaneous surge in cyber risks has grown more worrisome as India’s internet base expands. With the development of digital technology, cybercrimes are becoming more sophisticated as well.
- A cyber and information security division operates under the aegis of the Ministry of home affairs which deals with matters relating to Cyber Security, Cyber Crime, National Information Security Policy & Guidelines (NISPG), and implementation of NISPG, NATGRID, etc.
Way forward
- The government must harness and refocus efforts on the strategic use of India’s highly qualified IT workforce and carefully assess the vulnerabilities in its cyberspace and address them holistically through a more thorough National Cyber-Security Policy.