More than a hundred government websites, including some managed by the National Informatics Centre, were hacked till November this year, Parliament was told on Wednesday. While 105 websites were hacked this year, the number was 172 last year, said Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology SS Ahluwalia.

“As per information reported to and tracked by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team [CERT-In], 172 and 105 government websites, which includes 74 and 31 websites hosted on NICNET managed by National Informatics Centre [NIC] were hacked during the year 2017 and 2018 [up to November], respectively,” Ahluwalia said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

The Reserve Bank of India has also registered a total of 921 cases of fraud involving ATM/debit cards, credit cards and internet banking frauds up to September 30 this year.

The minister said cyber attacks were increasing worldwide with the innovation of technology and a rise in usage of cyber space for businesses. He added that in tune with the dynamic nature of information technology and emerging cyber threats, owners need to make continuous efforts and tighten security controls to protect networks.

Ahluwalia said the government has taken several steps to increase cyber security and prevent cyber attacks. “The CERT-IN issues alerts and advisories regarding latest cyber threats and counter measures on regular basis to ensure safe usage of digital technologies,” he said. “Regarding securing digital payments, 28 advisories have been issued for users and institutions.”

Ahluwalia said that a total of 53,081 incidents of cyber security, including 53 ransomware incidents, were observed during 2017.