US National Cybersecurity Strategy

Overview:

The rapid digitization of educational institutions in India has created both opportunities and challenges. While technology has improved access to education and administrative efficiency, it has also exposed institutions to significant cyber threats. This report, published by CyberPeace, examines the types, causes, impacts, and preventive measures related to cyber risks in Indian educational institutions. It highlights global best practices, national strategies, and actionable recommendations to mitigate these threats.

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Significance of the Study:

The pandemic-induced shift to online learning, combined with limited cybersecurity budgets, has made educational institutions prime targets for cyberattacks. These threats compromise sensitive student, faculty, and institutional data, leading to operational disruptions, financial losses, and reputational damage. Globally, educational institutions face similar challenges, emphasizing the need for universal and localized responses.

Threat Faced by Education Institutions:

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Based on the insights from the CyberPeace’s report titled 'Exploring Cyber Threats and Digital Risks in Indian Educational Institutions', this concise blog provides a comprehensive overview of cybersecurity threats and risks faced by educational institutions, along with essential details to address these challenges.

🎣 Phishing: Phishing is a social engineering tactic where cyber criminals impersonate trusted sources to steal sensitive information, such as login credentials and financial details. It often involves deceptive emails or messages that lead to counterfeit websites, pressuring victims to provide information quickly. Variants include spear phishing, smishing, and vishing.

💰 Ransomware: Ransomware is malware that locks users out of their systems or data until a ransom is paid. It spreads through phishing emails, malvertising, and exploiting vulnerabilities, causing downtime, data leaks, and theft. Ransom demands can range from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

🌐 Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS): DDoS attacks overwhelm servers, denying users access to websites and disrupting daily operations, which can hinder students and teachers from accessing learning resources or submitting assignments. These attacks are relatively easy to execute, especially against poorly protected networks, and can be carried out by amateur cybercriminals, including students or staff, seeking to cause disruptions for various reasons

🕵️ Cyber Espionage: Higher education institutions, particularly research-focused universities, are vulnerable to spyware, insider threats, and cyber espionage. Spyware is unauthorized software that collects sensitive information or damages devices. Insider threats arise from negligent or malicious individuals, such as staff or vendors, who misuse their access to steal intellectual property or cause data leaks..

🔒 Data Theft: Data theft is a major threat to educational institutions, which store valuable personal and research information. Cybercriminals may sell this data or use it for extortion, while stealing university research can provide unfair competitive advantages. These attacks can go undetected for long periods, as seen in the University of California, Berkeley breach, where hackers allegedly stole 160,000 medical records over several months.

🛠️ SQL Injection: SQL injection (SQLI) is an attack that uses malicious code to manipulate backend databases, granting unauthorized access to sensitive information like customer details. Successful SQLI attacks can result in data deletion, unauthorized viewing of user lists, or administrative access to the database.

🔍Eavesdropping attack: An eavesdropping breach, or sniffing, is a network attack where cybercriminals steal information from unsecured transmissions between devices. These attacks are hard to detect since they don't cause abnormal data activity. Attackers often use network monitors, like sniffers, to intercept data during transmission.

🤖 AI-Powered Attacks: AI enhances cyber attacks like identity theft, password cracking, and denial-of-service attacks, making them more powerful, efficient, and automated. It can be used to inflict harm, steal information, cause emotional distress, disrupt organizations, and even threaten national security by shutting down services or cutting power to entire regions

Insights from Project eKawach

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The CyberPeace Research Wing, in collaboration with SAKEC CyberPeace Center of Excellence (CCoE) and Autobot Infosec Private Limited, conducted a study simulating educational institutions' networks to gather intelligence on cyber threats. As part of the e-Kawach project, a nationwide initiative to strengthen cybersecurity, threat intelligence sensors were deployed to monitor internet traffic and analyze real-time cyber attacks from July 2023 to April 2024, revealing critical insights into the evolving cyber threat landscape.

Cyber Attack  Trends

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Between July 2023 and April 2024, the e-Kawach network recorded 217,886 cyberattacks from IP addresses worldwide, with a significant portion originating from countries including the United States, China, Germany, South Korea, Brazil, Netherlands, Russia, France, Vietnam, India, Singapore, and Hong Kong. However, attributing these attacks to specific nations or actors is complex, as threat actors often use techniques like exploiting resources from other countries, or employing VPNs and proxies to obscure their true locations, making it difficult to pinpoint the real origin of the attacks.

Brute Force Attack:

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The analysis uncovered an extensive use of automated tools in brute force attacks, with 8,337 unique usernames and 54,784 unique passwords identified. Among these, the most frequently targeted username was “root,” which accounted for over 200,000 attempts. Other commonly targeted usernames included: "admin", "test", "user", "oracle", "ubuntu", "guest", "ftpuser", "pi", "support"

Similarly, the study identified several weak passwords commonly targeted by attackers. “123456” was attempted over 3,500 times, followed by “password” with over 2,500 attempts. Other frequently targeted passwords included: "1234", "12345", "12345678", "admin", "123", "root", "test", "raspberry", "admin123", "123456789"

Insights from Threat Landscape Analysis

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Research done by the USI - CyberPeace Centre of Excellence (CCoE) and Resecurity has uncovered several breached databases belonging to public, private, and government universities in India, highlighting significant cybersecurity threats in the education sector. The research aims to identify and mitigate cybersecurity risks without harming individuals or assigning blame, based on data available at the time, which may evolve with new information. Institutions were assigned risk ratings that descend from A to F, with most falling under a D rating, indicating numerous security vulnerabilities. Institutions rated D or F are 5.4 times more likely to experience data breaches compared to those rated A or B. Immediate action is recommended to address the identified risks.

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Risk Findings :

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The risk findings for the institutions are summarized through a pie chart, highlighting factors such as data breaches, dark web activity, botnet activity, and phishing/domain squatting. Data breaches and botnet activity are significantly higher compared to dark web leakages and phishing/domain squatting. The findings show 393,518 instances of data breaches, 339,442 instances of botnet activity, 7,926 instances related to the dark web and phishing & domain activity - 6711.

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Key Indicators:  Multiple instances of data breaches containing credentials (email/passwords) in plain text.

• Botnet activity indicating network hosts compromised by malware.

• Credentials from third-party government and non-governmental websites linked to official institutional emails

• Details of software applications, drivers installed on compromised hosts.

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• Sensitive cookie data exfiltrated from various browsers.

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• IP addresses of compromised systems.
• Login credentials for different Android applications.

Below is the sample detail of one of the top educational institutions that provides the insights about the higher rate of data breaches, botnet activity, dark web activities and phishing & domain squatting. 

Risk Detection: 

It indicates the number of data breaches, network hygiene, dark web activities, botnet activities, cloud security, phishing & domain squatting, media monitoring and miscellaneous risks. In the below example, we are able to see the highest number of data breaches and botnet activities in the sample particular domain.

Risk Changes:

Risk by Categories:

Risk is categorized with factors such as high, medium and low, the risk is at high level for data breaches and botnet activities.

Challenges Faced by Educational Institutions

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Educational institutions face cyberattack risks, the challenges leading to cyberattack incidents in educational institutions are as follows:

🔒 Lack of a Security Framework: A key challenge in cybersecurity for educational institutions is the lack of a dedicated framework for higher education. Existing frameworks like ISO 27001, NIST, COBIT, and ITIL are designed for commercial organizations and are often difficult and costly to implement. Consequently, many educational institutions in India do not have a clearly defined cybersecurity framework.

🔑 Diverse User Accounts: Educational institutions manage numerous accounts for staff, students, alumni, and third-party contractors, with high user turnover. The continuous influx of new users makes maintaining account security a challenge, requiring effective systems and comprehensive security training for all users.

📚 Limited Awareness: Cybersecurity awareness among students, parents, teachers, and staff in educational institutions is limited due to the recent and rapid integration of technology. The surge in tech use, accelerated by the pandemic, has outpaced stakeholders' ability to address cybersecurity issues, leaving them unprepared to manage or train others on these challenges.

📱 Increased Use of Personal/Shared Devices: The growing reliance on unvetted personal/Shared devices for academic and administrative activities amplifies security risks.

💬 Lack of Incident Reporting: Educational institutions often neglect reporting cyber incidents, increasing vulnerability to future attacks. It is essential to report all cases, from minor to severe, to strengthen cybersecurity and institutional resilience.

Impact of Cybersecurity Attacks on Educational Institutions

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Cybersecurity attacks on educational institutions lead to learning disruptions, financial losses, and data breaches. They also harm the institution's reputation and pose security risks to students. The following are the impacts of cybersecurity attacks on educational institutions:

📚Impact on the Learning Process: A report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that cyberattacks on school districts resulted in learning losses ranging from three days to three weeks, with recovery times taking between two to nine months.

💸Financial Loss: US schools reported financial losses ranging from $50,000 to $1 million due to expenses like hardware replacement and cybersecurity upgrades, with recovery taking an average of 2 to 9 months.

🔒Data Security Breaches: Cyberattacks exposed sensitive data, including grades, social security numbers, and bullying reports. Accidental breaches were often caused by staff, accounting for 21 out of 25 cases, while intentional breaches by students, comprising 27 out of 52 cases, frequently involved tampering with grades.

⚠️Data Security Breach: Cyberattacks on schools result in breaches of personal information, including grades and social security numbers, causing emotional, physical, and financial harm. These breaches can be intentional or accidental, with a US study showing staff responsible for most accidental breaches (21 out of 25) and students primarily behind intentional breaches (27 out of 52) to change grades.

🏫Impact on Institutional Reputation: Cyberattacks damaged the reputation of educational institutions, eroding trust among students, staff, and families. Negative media coverage and scrutiny impacted staff retention, student admissions, and overall credibility.

🛡️ Impact on Student Safety: ‍‍Cyberattacks compromised student safety and privacy. For example, breaches like live-streaming school CCTV footage caused severe distress, negatively impacting students' sense of security and mental well-being.

CyberPeace Advisory:

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CyberPeace emphasizes the importance of vigilance and proactive measures to address cybersecurity risks:

1. Develop effective incident response plans: Establish a clear and structured plan to quickly identify, respond to, and recover from cyber threats. Ensure that staff are well-trained and know their roles during an attack to minimize disruption and prevent further damage.
   
   
2. Implement access controls with role-based permissions: Restrict access to sensitive information based on individual roles within the institution. This ensures that only authorized personnel can access certain data, reducing the risk of unauthorized access or data breaches.
   
   
3. Regularly update software and conduct cybersecurity training: Keep all software and systems up-to-date with the latest security patches to close vulnerabilities. Provide ongoing cybersecurity awareness training for students and staff to equip them with the knowledge to prevent attacks, such as phishing.
   
   
4. Ensure regular and secure backups of critical data: Perform regular backups of essential data and store them securely in case of cyber incidents like ransomware. This ensures that, if data is compromised, it can be restored quickly, minimizing downtime.
   
   
5. Adopt multi-factor authentication (MFA): Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication(MFA) for accessing sensitive systems or information to strengthen security. MFA adds an extra layer of protection by requiring users to verify their identity through more than one method, such as a password and a one-time code.
   
   
6. Deploy anti-malware tools: Use advanced anti-malware software to detect, block, and remove malicious programs. This helps protect institutional systems from viruses, ransomware, and other forms of malware that can compromise data security.
   
   
7. Monitor networks using intrusion detection systems (IDS): Implement IDS to monitor network traffic and detect suspicious activity. By identifying threats in real time, institutions can respond quickly to prevent breaches and minimize potential damage.
   
   
8. Conduct penetration testing: Regularly conduct penetration testing to simulate cyberattacks and assess the security of institutional networks. This proactive approach helps identify vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by actual attackers.
   
   
9. Collaborate with cybersecurity firms: Partner with cybersecurity experts to benefit from specialized knowledge and advanced security solutions. Collaboration provides access to the latest technologies, threat intelligence, and best practices to enhance the institution's overall cybersecurity posture.
   
   
10. Share best practices across institutions: Create forums for collaboration among educational institutions to exchange knowledge and strategies for cybersecurity. Sharing successful practices helps build a collective defense against common threats and improves security across the education sector.

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Conclusion: 

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The increasing cyber threats to Indian educational institutions demand immediate attention and action. With vulnerabilities like data breaches, botnet activities, and outdated infrastructure, institutions must prioritize effective cybersecurity measures. By adopting proactive strategies such as regular software updates, multi-factor authentication, and incident response plans, educational institutions can mitigate risks and safeguard sensitive data. Collaborative efforts, awareness, and investment in cybersecurity will be essential to creating a secure digital environment for academia.

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Introduction

Generative AI models are significant consumers of computational resources and energy required for training and running models. While AI is being hailed as a game-changer, however underneath the shiny exterior, cracks are present which significantly raises concerns for its environmental impact. The development, maintenance, and disposal of AI technology all come with a large carbon footprint. The energy consumption of AI models, particularly large-scale models or image generation systems, these models rely on data centers powered by electricity, often from non-renewable sources, which exacerbates environmental concerns and contributes to substantial carbon emissions.

As AI adoption grows, improving energy efficiency becomes essential. Optimising algorithms, reducing model complexity, and using more efficient hardware can lower the energy footprint of AI systems. Additionally, transitioning to renewable energy sources for data centers can help mitigate their environmental impact. There is a growing need for sustainable AI development, where environmental considerations are integral to model design and deployment.

A breakdown of how generative AI contributes to environmental risks and the pressing need for energy efficiency:

• Gen AI during the training phase has high power consumption, when vast amounts of computational power which is often utilising extensive GPU clusters for weeks or at times even months, consumes a substantial amount of electricity. Post this phase, the inference phase where the deployment of these models takes place for real-time inference, can be energy-extensive especially when we take into account the millions of users of Gen AI.
• The main source of energy used for training and deploying AI models often comes from non-renewable sources which then contribute to the carbon footprint. The data centers where the computations for Gen AI take place are a significant source of carbon emissions if they rely on the use of fossil fuels for their energy needs for the training and deployment of the models. According to a study by MIT, training an AI can produce emissions that are equivalent to around 300 round-trip flights between New York and San Francisco. According to a report by Goldman Sachs, Data Companies will use 8% of US power by 2030, compared to 3% in 2022 as their energy demand grows by 160%.
• The production and disposal of hardware (GPUs, servers) necessary for AI contribute to environmental degradation. Mining for raw materials and disposing of electronic waste (e-waste) are additional environmental concerns. E-waste contains hazardous chemicals, including lead, mercury, and cadmium, that can contaminate soil and water supplies and endanger both human health and the environment. 

Efforts by the Industry to reduce the environmental risk posed by Gen AI 

There are a few examples of how companies are making efforts to reduce their carbon footprint, reduce energy consumption and overall be more environmentally friendly in the long run. Some of the efforts are as under:

• Google's TPUs in particular the Google Tensor are designed specifically for machine learning tasks and offer a higher performance-per-watt ratio compared to traditional GPUs, leading to more efficient AI computations during the shorter periods requiring peak consumption. 
• Researchers at Microsoft, for instance, have developed a so-called “1 bit” architecture that can make LLMs 10 times more energy efficient than the current leading system. This system simplifies the models’ calculations by reducing the values to 0 or 1, slashing power consumption but without sacrificing its performance.
• OpenAI has been working on optimizing the efficiency of its models and exploring ways to reduce the environmental impact of AI and using renewable energy as much as possible including the research into more efficient training methods and model architectures.

Policy Recommendations

We advocate for the sustainable product development process and press the need for Energy Efficiency in AI Models to counter the environmental impact that they have. These improvements would not only be better for the environment but also contribute to the greater and sustainable development of Gen AI.  Some suggestions are as follows:

• AI needs to adopt a Climate justice framework which has been informed by a diverse context and perspectives while working in tandem with the UN’s (Sustainable Development Goals) SDGs.
• Working and developing more efficient algorithms that would require less computational power for both training and inference can reduce energy consumption. Designing more energy-efficient hardware, such as specialized AI accelerators and next-generation GPUs, can help mitigate the environmental impact. 
• Transitioning to renewable energy sources (solar, wind, hydro) can significantly reduce the carbon footprint associated with AI. The World Economic Forum (WEF) projects that by 2050, the total amount of e-waste generated will have surpassed 120 million metric tonnes.
• Employing techniques like model compression, which reduces the size of AI models without sacrificing performance, can lead to less energy-intensive computations. Optimized models are faster and require less hardware, thus consuming less energy.
• Implementing scattered learning approaches, where models are trained across decentralized devices rather than centralized data centers, can lead to a better distribution of energy load evenly and reduce the overall environmental impact.
• Enhancing the energy efficiency of data centers through better cooling systems, improved energy management practices, and the use of AI for optimizing data center operations can contribute to reduced energy consumption.

Final Words

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are crucial for the AI industry just as other industries as they guide responsible innovation. Aligning AI development with the SDGs will ensure ethical practices, promoting sustainability, equity, and inclusivity. This alignment fosters global trust in AI technologies, encourages investment, and drives solutions to pressing global challenges, such as poverty, education, and climate change, ultimately creating a positive impact on society and the environment. The current state of AI is that it is essentially utilizing enormous power and producing a product not efficiently utilizing the power it gets. AI and its derivatives are stressing the environment in such a manner which if it continues will affect the clean water resources and other non-renewable power generation sources which contributed to the huge carbon footprint of the AI industry as a whole.  

References

• https://cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/artificial-intelligence/ais-hunger-for-power-can-be-tamed/111302991
• https://earth.org/the-green-dilemma-can-ai-fulfil-its-potential-without-harming-the-environment/ 
• https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/06/06/239031/training-a-single-ai-model-can-emit-as-much-carbon-as-five-cars-in-their-lifetimes/
• https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ais-climate-impact-goes-beyond-its-emissions/ ‍
• https://insights.grcglobalgroup.com/the-environmental-impact-of-ai/

Introduction

Holi 2025 is just around the corner. In fact, in the Braj region, Mathura and Vrindavan, the celebrations have already begun, starting from Basant Panchami on 2nd February 2025. Temples in Vrindavan are sprinkling flowers on devotees, creating mesmerising scenes with the spirit of devotion. While cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, etc., are all set, with pre-bookings for Holi events, parties and music festivals. 

However, in the current digital era, cybercriminals attempt to conduct manipulative campaigns to deceive innocent people. They attempt to send fake cashback offers, freebies, lucrative deals, giveaways, and phishing scams under the guise of Holi deals and offers. The upcoming festival of colors requires you to know the warning signs so you can remain alert and safeguard against digital scams.

How Scammers Might Target You 

Holi is a time for joy, colors, and celebrations, but cybercriminals see it as the perfect opportunity to trick people into falling for scams. With increased online shopping, event bookings, and digital transactions, scammers exploit the festive mood to steal money and personal information. Here are some common Holi-related cyber scams and how they operate:

1. Exclusive Fake Holi Offers

Scammers send out promotional messages via WhatsApp, SMS, or email claiming to offer exclusive Holi discounts. For example, you might receive a message like:
"Get 70% off on Holi color packs! Limited-time deal! Click here to order now."
However, clicking the link leads to a fraudulent website designed to steal your card details or make unauthorized transactions.

2.  Fake Holi Cashback Offers

You may get an SMS that reads:
"Congratulations! You’ve won ₹500 cashback for your Holi purchases. Claim now by clicking this link."
The link may take you to a phishing page that asks for your UPI PIN or bank login credentials, allowing scammers to siphon off your money.

3. Fake Quizzes to Win Freebies

Scammers circulate links to Holi-themed quizzes or surveys promising free gifts like branded clothing, sweets, or smart gadgets. These often ask users to enter personal details such as phone numbers, email addresses, or even Aadhaar numbers. Once entered, the scammers misuse this information for identity theft or further phishing attempts.

4. Fake Social Media Giveaways

Many fraudsters create fake Instagram and Facebook pages mimicking well-known brands, announcing contests with tempting prizes. For example:
"Holi Giveaway! Win a free Bluetooth speaker or chance to win smartphone by following us and sending a small registration fee!"
Once you pay, the page disappears, leaving you with nothing but regret.

5. Targeted Phishing Scams

During Holi, phishing attempts surge as scammers disguise themselves as banks, e-wallet services, or e-commerce platforms. You might receive an email with a subject like:
"Urgent: Your Holi order needs confirmation, update your details now!"
The email contains a fake link that, when clicked, prompts you to enter sensitive login information, which the scammers then use to access your account.

6. Clickbait Links on Social Media

Cybercriminals circulate enticing headlines such as:
"This New Holi Color Is Banned – Find Out Why!"
These links often lead to malware-infected pages that compromise your device security or steal browsing data.

7. Bogus Online Booking Platforms

With many people looking for Holi event tickets or holiday stays, scammers set up fake booking websites. Imagine you come across a site advertising "Holi Pool Party – Entry Just INR 299!" you eagerly make the payment, only to find out later that the event never existed.

How to Stay Safe This Festive Season

• Verify offers directly from official websites instead of clicking on random links.
• Avoid sharing personal or banking details on unfamiliar platforms.
• Look for HTTPS in website URLs before making any payments.
• Be cautious of unsolicited messages, even if they appear to be from known contacts.
• If an offer seems too good to be true, it it is likely a scam or deception.

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Conclusion:

As Holi 2025 approaches, make sure your online security remains a priority. Keep an eye on potential frauds that attempt to take advantage of the festive seasons like Holi. Protect yourself against various cyber threats. Before engaging with any Internet content, prioritize the verification of sources. Let us safeguard our celebrations with critical cyber security precautions. Wishing you all a cyber-safe and Happy Holi 2025!

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