What’s NCIIPS? Everything you need to know

NCIIPS About

When you look at the news of other countries proactively charging and ransoming cybercriminals, you might sit and think if the same is available in India or not. And, while not many know about this, the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre or NCIIPS is what caters to those cybercrimes and other web-based crimes that happen in India.

The department is extremely underrated and often work in the background without having any kind of prime focus on them. They have been pretty active and functional in the past decade, owing to the rising threats on the internet and the associated online periphery.

The primary function of the NCIIPS is to secure any and every kind of critical information that should be kept confidential for the country’s protection. If you are wondering what department information NCIIPS secures, it includes every government department and its critical and confidential information.

This article will highlight everything that you need to know about NCIIPS, its significance, and the benefits of having this protection centre.

What is the Critical Information Infrastructure?

Every country’s government runs on a large scale and with strategized moves to ensure the welfare and growth of its citizens. However, there will come times when third-party hackers and other inquisitive minds with malicious intent will try to get into the country’s critical information and database. The NCIIPS in India works to protect that critical information infrastructure from the prying eyes.

However, the primary question that people have is about the meaning of Critical Information Infrastructure. What it is and what are its significances?

In simple words, a Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) include the different types of physical or even virtual systems of information that are vital to the country’s growth and development. These are confidential data, which, if leaked, can be detrimental to the country’s growth and diversity.

According to the Informational Technology Act 2008, CII is defined as “computer resources, the destruction of which shall have a debilitating impact on national security, economy, public health or safety.”

How to Identify the Critical Information Infrastructure?

Now that you know what CII is and the kind of popularity it entails to a country’s growth, it isn’t surprising that you need to know how to identify CII from the other government information. What distinguishes it from the rest of the other information?

According to the standard information shared by the American Cybersecurity Infrastructure & Security Agency, it suggests that the classification of the CII is subjective to each country. It depends on the analysis and dissection of the individual categories involved in a particular establishment in the country. 

In India, the security agency identifies 16 government or public sectors under the CII. This includes different sectors, including:

  • Defense sector
  • Energy and power sector
  • Emergency services
  • Nuclear reactors, etc.

The information about these and more government departments and infrastructure are classified and protected to ensure optimal protection of the country. The reason why this information is kept secure is to ensure that nothing imposes a threat to the country’s future.

Under Nciips, several vital guidelines are issued to protect the CII of the country of India. There are very strict parameters that are imposed to protect the CII of the country from prying eyes. 

Once identified, the information is protected by assessing the extent of the functions, and the services provided by the individual organizations. This also includes the limitations of the demographics imposed. 

Who protects the CII in India?

As we have mentioned from the beginning, the CII in India is managed and protected by the Nciips. Since the CII falls under the primary cyber security needs for India, it isn’t surprising that NCIIPC works on an overdrive to ensure the optimal safety of all the shared information.

The NCIIPC was established in 2014 with the primary objective to safeguard all of the CII information and the allied government information that is otherwise classified. Nciips works with both the public and the private sector as the nodal agency to understand the shortcomings and then bridge the associated gap when it comes to the security and safety of the shared information via the CII.

Soon after its establishment, the organization was then established under section 70A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and works under the Prime Minister’s office. Currently, the centre works under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The primary objective of the agency is to streamline and facilitate the sharing of safe and secure sharing of critical sensors in India. The agency also works across almost all the significant departments under the Indian government, including the following:

  • Power & Energy department
  • Banking & Financial government department
  • Telecom department
  • Transport department 
  • Government strategies
  • Strategic Enterprise

These are just the preliminary departments that are looked after by Nciips with primary importance and priority. There are other departments that this agency looks over.

How to report an Incident with NCIIPC?

Not only does Nciips work independently, but they also urge the citizens to come forward with the basic information or security threats that they have witnessed in recent times. The agency also works to share awareness surrounding the importance of cyber security.

Individuals and organizations can easily come forward to report issues about the security applications, hardware, software, and associated security solutions that they have faced while they are on the internet.

All of these complaints and issues can be registered or reported to Nciips through [email protected]. This is their helpdesk and is functional throughout the day. Once you submit your report, the associated authorities will look into the matter and then take the much-needed steps to rectify the issues.

If you want to have a safer cyber security experience, keep in mind that Nciips is working day in and day out to ensure that the country’s cyber security and the CII is kept confidential and protected. The agency is working on overdrive over the last few years to ensure there are no risks associated with the country’s data that are classified in physical documentation or as virtual data on the internet. 

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