373 govt websites hacked between Jan’18 and Sep’23: MeitY tells House panel

Between January 2018 and September 2023, 373 central and state government websites were hacked, the ministry of electronics and information technology informed the parliamentary committee on communications and information technology.

“As per the information reported to and tracked by CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team), a total number of 110, 54, 59, 42, 50 and 58 website hacking incidents of Central Ministries/Departments and State Government organizations were observed during the years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (upto September), respectively,” MeitY told the committee.

Taking this to account, the committee, headed by member of Parliament (MP) Prataprao Jadhav, in its report on “Digital Payment and Online Security Measures for Data Protection” tabled in the Lok Sabha on February 8, asked the government to strengthen the cybersecurity of government websites and other critical digital infrastructure.

The committee also noted that some government offices were still using outdated Windows in their official computers and laptops, making them vulnerable to cyber threats. “Though MeitY has come up with regular guidelines regarding ensuring cyber security of Government cyber infrastructure, the Committee would emphasize on the adherence to these guidelines and recommend the Ministry to update entire government infrastructure regarding handling of cyber threats. The Committee would like to be apprised of the actions taken in this regard,” the report said.