Indian govt setting up botnet cleaning and malware analysis centre's

Government is setting up a centre that will detect malicious programmes like 'botnets' and help device owners remove such harmful softwares for free.

"We are setting up 'botnet' cleaning and malware analysis centre within three months. It will automatically detect botnets that trigger various cyber crimes and suggest the device owner to remove it from their device with help of our facility," IT Secretary R S Sharma said.

The project is a part of Digital India programme and aims to create safe and secure cyber space, Sharma said.

The centre is being set up with an outlay of about Rs 100 crore and national cyber security watchdog Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (ICERT) has selected vendor for the same.

Botnet is a network of malicious softwares that can steal information, take control of device function and carry out cyber attacks like Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) that prevent access of websites.

Google buys cybersecurity startup VirusTotal

Google Inc has bought startup VirusTotal, picking up a fledgling but widely used cybersecurity industry player in a move that could beef up protection for its Internet services.

The acquisition of VirusTotal, which aggregates warnings on submitted files and websites from most antivirus solutions, including Intel Corp's McAfee and Symantec Corp, could significantly shore up the search giant's ability to weed out infectious content from Gmail, social network Google+ and even the pages it shows search users.

VirusTotal operates by accepting requests for virus checks, running every available protection software on the questioned document or pages, then distributing the results to security vendors.

Because those results include the documents and websites submitted, the service is considered a valuable source of information by the security industry about emergent threats and potential targets.

"VirusTotal will continue to operate independently, maintaining our partnerships with other antivirus companies and security experts," the startup said in a blogpost announcing the acquisition.

"We've worked hard to ensure that the services we offer continually improve. But as a small, resource-constrained company, that can sometimes be challenging."

Google did not disclose the amount it paid, and did not respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Joseph Menn and Edwin Chan; Editing by Gary Hill)Source-Reuters
 SAN FRANCISCO | Fri Sep 7, 2012 4:23pm EDT

'Youth For Nation' to hold rally against graft, cyber crime

MANGALORE: Youth in the state vows to fight against corruption and cyber crime. The Karnataka branch of the Youth For Nation (YFN) will hold a state-level rally to create awareness among youth and to protest against the menaces.

YFN will hold 'Prathignya Yathre' to fight against the menace of corruption and cyber crimes in the state from August 4 to 9. The rally will start from Freedom Park in Bangalore on August 4 and reach Mangalore on August 7. Later, the rally will proceed through Puttur, Madikeri, Mysore and conclude at Mandya on August 9.YFN Mangalore chief secretary Ashwath Hegde told TOI that thousands of people in the state, who are suffering from rampant corruption, are expected to attend the rally. "Youth are ready to take all the possible steps to eliminate modern Ravana. Our nation is suffering from two major illnesses - corruption and cyber crimes. YFN invites young people to join the crusade with hearty involvement and also requests to fight the battle against the menace," he said.

Memorandum seeking solutions to the issues will be handed sent to chief minister Jagadish Shettar, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pranab Mukherjee, Hegde said adding: "this rally is just the beginning of a long nation-wide battle against corruption as well as cyber crimes and all nationalistic people are invited to perform their 'Rashtra Dharma' by participating in the fight. Source-TOI 

Vinobha K T, TNN Aug 4, 2012, 12.52PM IST 

children and women are most vulnerable in cyber related crimes:chandy

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy Friday said social networking sites have become a major problem in the country and if not used with control, could have 'disastrous' results on the younger generation.

Inaugurating the two-day 'International Cyber Security and Policing Conference' here, he said social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are popular among youth but the 'hidden matter' within is the biggest malice affecting children.

Quoting a recent survey, Chandy said the average time spent by 33 percent of children on the web is about 60 minutes, while around six percent spent more than six hours.

"This rise in number of users has also seen a rise in cyber crime activities, particularly those targeted towards children," he said.

The Chief Minister said children and women are most vulnerable in cyber related crimes.
Crimes like pornography, cyber stalking, cyber cheating and hacking are primarily used against women, he said, adding "most of this happens due to lack of awareness and poor cyber security measures adopted."