Cyber Security Alert: Centre Directs NPCI, RBI To Bolster Security Amid Indo-Pak Conflict

Cyber Security Alert: The Finance Ministry has directed major financial institutions like the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), banks, and National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) to take appropriate measures to ramp up cyber security to protect the south Asian nation's digital payment infrastructure and its financial bodies.

These include top banks, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which regulates real-time payments system UPI, the RBI, and other key financial institutions pertinent to the integrity and security of India's financial system.

It's critical for India, which has witnessed its digital payment revolution, to safeguard NPCI, and top banks that constitute as the backbone of India's economic interests. Reportedly, India has already recorded 17-18 billion transactions via mobile each month, totaling around Rs 24 lakh crore.

Indo-Pak Tensions Give Raise Cyber-Security Concerns for India's Financial Ecosystem

This advisory came as a result of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, who is accused of sponsoring the April 22 Pahalgam attack, and the counter terrorism efforts undertaken by India.

Last night, India sent a stern message across border to Pakistan by repulsing Pakistani missile and drone attack attempts in Jammu, Pathankot, Udhampur and other locations.

The Modi led central administration has specifically asked these institutions to remain on high alert and boost cybersecurity across verticals like core banking systems, payment gateways, and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) infrastructure.

A day earlier, India launched Operation Sindoor in the wee hours, hitting nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir two weeks after 26 people died in a terror strike in Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22.

Earlier, CERT-In and the Reserve Bank of India also advised most major financial institutions and payment firms to be ready and prepared for any cyber-attacks given the current situation.

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) is an office within the ministry of electronics and information technology that monitors the country’s cybersecurity and digital assets.

The National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC), under the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), is the concerned national agency that's meant to protect Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) — assets whose disruption can severely impact national security and economic stability.