Dataquest : Top Stories : Are We Secure?

Are We Secure?

Post 26/11, there has been a lot of noise about how terrorists are extensively using technology but our senior police officials and home ministry functions admit that not much effort is going into the catching up

Urvashi Kaul

Friday, March 20, 2009

You are the most foolish enemies the Mujahideen of Islam have ever fought against!

Look, we are directly challenging you that, Insha Allah, we will carry out our next attacks right under your close vigil, your critical surveillance and yes, of course, in the presence of all those confidential reports that you receive from your secret sources of the IBthe Ignorance Bureau

What you have yelled and panicked about the Indian Mujahideen being technologically advanced is absolutely true. Our forthcoming assaults shall verify your guesstimate once again and this time it will be terribly dreadful, Insha Allah!

These are the exact quotes picked up from one of the many terror mails that were sent out by the terrorists to the various media houses just minutes before a series of terror attacks in India. The brazenness in the tone is not only shocking but also challenging. The message is loud and clear: the terrorist attacks will continue, and that too by a breed of what are already being dubbed as the techie terrorists.

Immediately after the 26/11 attack, the Mumbai police arrested Mohammed Asghar Mansoor Peerboy, a 31-yr old principal software engineer with Yahoo!, amongst others, in connection with the terror mails that were sent just before the onslaught began. It was reported that Peerbhoy and his associates on a number of occasions had driven around Mumbai to indulge into wardriving, in order to hunt for unsecured Wi-Fi networks.

The story of Peerbhoys arrest, who was allegedly heading the media cell of the Indian Mujahideen, also brought to light a significant fact that the terrorists recognize the power of technology and the role that it can play. Interestingly, it was later known that the members of the Indian Mujahideen were paid to attend a three-day network security course in Hyderabad. Specifically in this case, Peerbhoy was the terror cells in-house spin-doctor, who would email the manifestos before and after the recent blasts. The authorities had confirmed that this was being done by hacking into unsecured Wi-Fi connections. Two other computer grads were also arrested along with Peerbhoy.

Tech Foot Forward

Delhi Polices Integrated Security Plan

The Delhi Police has decided to set up a cyber highway to connect all its monitoring systemsCCTV cameras, traffic systems, police stations and police headquarterswith each other. The move that comes in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Mumbai last year is aimed at improving the policing and security systems in the national capital, particularly for the Commonwealth Games scheduled to be hosted in 2010.

The state police has also signed up MTNL for setting up an integrated data communication network (cyber highway) to ensure secure and faster communication. The cyber highway will be used for interlinking police exchanges, connectivity of all police stations and kiosks with the police and district headquarters. The network will also be used to link the criminal record information system with other security systems like videoconferencing, video surveillance and traffic monitoring systems. The network will also enable them to implement WAN for additional services like variable message broadcast, finger print search applications and setting up of the intelligent traffic system.

The Delhi Police is spending Rs 5.07 crore for procuring equipment in the first phase of the plan. It will be followed with a total project outlay of Rs 27.3 crore. Overall, the Delhi Police is looking at spending Rs 170 crore for procuring both the intelligent traffic system as well as the cyber highway. The police has identified 55 major roads measuring 217.96 km, and about 200 intersections to be covered under the system. They are also installing CCTV systems in fifty-eight market places and twenty-seven border check posts.

A Hi-tech Gurgaon Police
The Gurgaon Police has got hi-tech at a cost of Rs 2.08 crore to manage, monitor and co-ordinate its ground forces. It has equipped its entire fleet of PCR jeeps, motorcycles and patrol parties with new age GPS enabled TETRA radios.

The Gurgaon Police is now able to track and monitor the exact location of all its field resources at any point of time. The modern hi-tech police control room boasts of a theater size projection screen, on which a detailed digital map of Gurgaon is projected. The current location of all PCR vans is depicted as red icons, motorcycles are depicted in green and SHOs and other senior officers depicted as blue icons on this giant map display. The advanced AVLS (Automatic Vehicle Location System), enables the address of any Dial-100 caller to be automatically searched and displayed on a digital map.

The control room operator can immediately identify the nearest available police vehicle that can respond to the incident. Details of the incident are relayed to the ground forces through text and voice messages. Supervisors in the police control room are able to track and monitor the responses of the ground forces. Senior officers can monitor the daily activities of the ground forces, view the exact routes, patrolling times, halts and breaks and ensure discipline and responsibility in policing activities. Accurate logs of kilometers traveled helps the police department to account for and check fuel expenses.

Maha Gov Wants Google Earth Banned
The Government of Maharashtra is examining legal options to censor Google Earth and curb it from showing sensitive locations to prevent terror attacks such as those that happened in Mumbai. We want Google Earth censored. We shall submit a proposal to the centre and other concerned agencies to implement it as soon as possible, says Maharashtras Minister of State for Home, Naseem Khan.

The state government has been concerned about the issue since learning that the terrorists who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008 were aided by Google Earth satellite maps. We have scores of sensitive and ultra-sensitive locations in Mumbai, Maharashtra and the rest of the country that can be easily viewed on Google Earth maps, adds Khan. The minister further states that at least sensitive locations like defence installations, government headquarters, legislature buildings, important places of worship, ports, docks and other such sites should be left out of the satellite maps.

India Clears Proposals for Coastal Security
The Government of India has cleared several proposals to augment coastal security, including deployment of additional ships and aircrafts in these areas, and global acquisition of cutting-edge equipment and interceptor boats on a fast-track basis. Defence Minister AK Antony announced the deployment of Coast Guard assets to protect vulnerable areas in the context of the recent terror attacks in Mumbai.

It was decided to set up nine additional Coast Guard stations and they were asked to coordinate with state governments for electronic identification of all vessels entering Indian Waters.

The government has also given clearence for radar coverage of the entire coastline and a scheme for the same will soon be worked out in consultation with the Ministry of Shipping. The Coast Guard should coordinate with the Indian Navy and intelligence agencies for sharing of information, says Antony.

Defense Contract for Indian Coast Guard
The Ministry of Defence has awarded a Rs 281 crore contract to Bharati Shipyardthe leading private sector shipyard in Indiafor supplying fifteen interceptor boats for Indian Coast Guard. It is for the first time that vessels with an Articulate Surface Piercing Propulsion, are being built by an Indian shipyard and are being included in the Indian fleet. These vessels are light weight specialized high speed crafts used for patrolling and interception. they are fast patrol vessels meant for guarding coastal areas and other assets including EcP installations along the coastal areas.

Tech Facelift for Chandigarh Police
The Chandigarh Police is all geared up to enhance its capabilities and to go hi-tech in the year 2009. It recently got Rs 9.42 crore sanctioned for improvement of its existing capabilities. CCTVs will be installed at all the border checkposts and other sensitive areas of the city before March 31, 2009. The state will buy all the modern gadgetry and set up GPS in all police control room vehicles before this date.

Tracking Complaints Online
The Government of India is planning to introduce a police station based computerized program through which a person can register his complaints online without visiting a police station. Besides, the new program will allow the complainant to monitor the progress of the casestatus of the investigation and action taken on it. The Computerized Intelligence Police System (Cipa) has been converted into Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS) to facilitate police stations in discharging their duties efficiently and to make the system more citizen friendly.

Hyderabad PoliceJust an SMS Away
Caught in a life threatening situation, facing terror, affected by or witness to a crime or stranded in a traffic jam in Hyderabad? Simply send an SMS to the police and help will reach you shortly. The Hyderabad Police has launched the new facility which helps citizens to quickly access the police in case of any emergency.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner, B Prasada Rao has asked citizens to send an SMS to 9010100100 but use the facility judiciously: only if life and property is under immediate threat; or when affected by or witness to a crime or accident and see no policemen around. People can also send an SMS if they see suspicious people and objects and anticipate a grave and immediate danger to life and property; if they come across a criminal who is wanted by the police; if they are caught in a serious traffic jam for a long time; and if there is harassment in a public place.

Interestingly, it was Google Earth images that were also aiding the terrorists with online satellite images in designing and strategizing the Mumbai terror attack. These maps were used to get familiar with the streets of the financial capital.

Moreover, the terrorists were said to have used complex GPS systems to storm into Mumbai by sea. They allegedly communicated by satellite phones, mobiles using several different SIM cards, and may have also monitored events as the siege unfolded via handheld BlackBerry web browsers.

A senior official from the Ministry of Home points out that unfortunately the NSG commandos who stormed the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai did not even have a basic layout map available of the buildings. And this is just one instance where terrorists used technology to successfully carry out their evil designs. There is no dearth of such incidents.

One just wonders if our good old hawaldar, armed with the very basic lathi, can really counter the young terrorists clad with the extra punch of techieness and the most advanced weaponry. Its time we take a stock of where we stand in our war against terrorism. And there is no doubt that technology holds the key. As terrorists get technologically more efficient, the only way to go about dealing with it is to beat them at it. In the three months that have gone by since India was struck by one of the worst terror attacks, are we geared up to fight another Mumbai like strike? Is the government ready to make the huge investment into upgrading our security infrastructure. These are not just plain questions; the answers will tell us not only where we stand today, but also how far we need to go as time runs out.

And from what we understand after talking to people closely working at making the country a safer haven, there is still a long way to go. There is no doubt that there is increased awareness but whether that has turned into real time action only time will tell. At present the threat appears to be much more serious than we are prepared to handle, say experts. The techie terrorist is far more intelligent than our systems can cope with.

Page(s) 1 2




	How Can We Help?
	Interpreting Mass Layoffs
	Re-introducing protectionism?
	Slowdown & Recovery

Collective Intelligence @ Work

• Recession- Guest or Ghost?

• 'We are open' - Eyewash or Eye-catcher?

• And your stocking says?