Recent Current Affairs related to Cyber Security

RBI has issued final amendment directions for Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) and Rural Co-operative Banks (RCBs), mandating a 3-year cooling-off period for directors who have completed a continuous tenure of 10 years on the board.

RBI has also established an 8-member expert panel under the Quantum Secure and Adaptive Financial Ecosystem (Q-SAFE) initiative to evaluate the risks posed to the financial system by the adoption of quantum technology. The panel is led by Anil Prabhakar, a professor at the IIT Madras, who serves as the convener.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with South Korean Ministers Ahn Gyu-back and Lee Yong-cheol in Seoul. He also chaired the India-ROK Defence Industry Business Roundtable in Seoul to foster bilateral defence cooperation.

During the visit, India and the ROK exchanged an MoU to enhance cooperation in defence cyber security and defence information sharing. Additionally, two agreements were signed between Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Hanwa Co Ltd to facilitate collaboration between the defence industries of both nations.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), under the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT)), has launched an AI-based helpbot named ‘ABHAY’ (AI-Based Helpbot for Authentication of Your Notice).

The initiative aims to authenticate official CBI notices and safeguard citizens against cyber fraud and digital arrest scams.

India has assumed the chairmanship of the Common Criteria Development Board (CCDB) for a 2-year period, from April 2026 to April 2028. The leadership was confirmed during the 1st Quarter Meeting of the Common Criteria Recognition Arrangement (CCRA) held in Tokyo, Japan.

Under the CCRA, member countries accept each other’s IT security certificates without re-certification, facilitating seamless global trade in secure IT products. It is to be noted that India has been a member of the CCRA since 2013.

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has signed an MoU with the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) to enhance the detection of mule accounts and to mitigate cyber financial frauds using AI based technologies. It is to be noted that the RBIH is a subsidiary of the RBI.

The National e-Governance Division (NeGD), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has felicitated five states for their outstanding DigiLocker integration initiatives.

The states include Gujarat, Karnataka, Keralam, Nagaland, and Rajasthan. The felicitation took place during the “National Consultative Workshop on Strengthening Cybersecurity Frameworks for State Data” held in New Delhi.

OpenAI has launched a cybersecurity-focused initiative named “Daybreak” to assist software developers and security teams in detecting vulnerabilities, validating fixes, and accelerating system patching using AI tools.

It is to be noted that the launch follows the introduction of “Mythos” by Anthropic, which is an advanced cybersecurity AI system developed under the “Project Glasswing” initiative.

The SEBI has constituted a specialized task force named ‘Cyber suraksha.ai’ to assess cybersecurity risks associated with advanced AI tools and enhance cyber resilience.

The task force consists of representatives from Market Infrastructure Institutions (MIIs), Qualified Registrar and Transfer Agents (QRTAs), and Regulated Entities (REs), along with other relevant stakeholders.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has signed a 5-year MoU with the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) to strengthen the cybersecurity and digital forensic capabilities of the Aadhaar infrastructure.

Lt Gen Madhavan Unnikrishnan Nair (Retd.) has been appointed as the Strategic Defence Advisor to Synergy Quantum. Prior to the appointment, he served as the 3rd National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) at the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS).

Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered the keynote address at the 38th foundation day of the SEBI in Mumbai. She highlighted that SEBI should expand investor awareness campaigns across digital platforms and regional languages to ensure wider protection.

She also launched “Mission Jagrook”, a nationwide investor awareness initiative aimed at safeguarding retail investors against misinformation, fraud, and manipulative financial content.

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) has signed an MoU with Jumps Automation LLP under the C-DOT Collaborative Research Programme (CCRP) to develop a gamification platform for cybersecurity awareness.

The initiative aims to enhance the cybersecurity preparedness of individuals and enterprises through an interactive digital environment.

The Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd (BECIL) has signed an MoU with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) to collaborate in the fields of advanced technologies, digital transformation, and capacity building. The partnership focuses on joint project implementation, consultancy, and technical support, including the development of solutions in emerging technologies.

SEBI has launched three new Information Technology (IT) platforms: “Single Universal Platform for Communications” (SUPCOMS) 2.1, the “e-adjudication portal”, and “Cyber-Sec Audit Compliance” (C-SAC).

The SUPCOMS 2.1 platform serves as a centralized digital interface that replaces traditional email-based communication for all interactions with external entities. The “e-Adjudication Portal” provides a transparent and paperless platform for quasi-judicial proceedings to increase efficiency and speed. It is to be noted that C-SAC is an AI based platform that enables automated analysis of cyber audit reports to identify compliance gaps and provide risk insights.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has signed an MoU with the SEBI to enhance cooperation in addressing the misuse of telecom resources in securities market frauds and investment related scams.