Indian Government Asks Army to get off Facebook

Earlier this week, TV media was reporting of how 4 naval officers leaked confidential information on social networking sites divulging information about the location of warships and other confidential data etc.

The four officers were being tracked for quite some time by naval authorities for allegedly leaking confidential information, including location of warships, armaments being carried by them and their patrolling patterns (source) and now, government is reported to have issued orders asking all its men, officers and other ranks, who had joined social networking sites like Facebook or Orkut earlier to immediately quit them.

Similar incident happened in 2009 when government advised army to stay away from social networking sites and even banned social networking sites/ picture sharing sites for Indian diplomats.

“The Army’s worry is that public access to such information could increase the vulnerabilities of both the Army and its personnel. Some information could provide clues to the Army’s strategies. It could also make personnel more vulnerable to things like honeytraps (spies using sex to extract information)”.

Incidentally, Indian Prime Minster joined Twitter 2 days back.
Indian Government Asks Army to get off Facebook

Banning or curbing social media could become a major demotivating factor for youth aspiring to join the Army at all levels
This very important aspect is actually a point currently not even on our radar. We must find a practical and balanced solution in consonance with the times which would not only ensure personal freedom but also hands-on adherence to security requirements. If social media is taken as an enemy of security then so could be normal day to day human interaction, all types of computing devices and mobiles. Would be, or could we ban those too? Posted by Navdeep / Maj Navdeep Singh
Read More: Social media and the Armed Forces : Need to refrain from knee-jerk reactions

5 Technology Trends to Watch

©Consumer Electronics Association 2010
• THE PULSE OF TECHNOLOGY- CEA PRESIDENT AND CEO Gary Shapiro
• SELLING THE STORIES OF OUR LIVES: TECHNOLOGY AND PRIVACY- SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, INDUSTRY AFFAIRS Jason Oxman
• THE FUTURE OF VIDEO DISTRIBUTION AND CONSUMPTION- SENIOR DIRECTOR, PUBLICATIONS Cindy Loffler Stevens
• A COMPUTER IN EVERY POCKET, 4G IN EVERY TOWN- MANAGER, PUBLICATIONS Carolyn Slater
• IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN OR IS IT? SENIOR COORDINATOR, PUBLICATIONS Mark Chisholm
• THE FUTURE OF APPS- SENIOR MANAGER, CREATIVE DIRECTION Octavio Kano
• ARE WE DRIVING TECHNOLOGY OR IS IT DRIVING US?- GRAPHIC DESIGNER, CREATIVE SERVICES Ian Shields
click here to read all the above articles: Gives an overview of future trends in Video, Computers and Internet Apps

ECHS Smart Card Failure Story

India's First National Level SCOSTA Based Health Project : A Smart Card Failure Story

Various Schemes have been operational in India and the Government has been spending millions of Rupees on these schemes, but the benefits of these schemes do not reach the entitled beneficiaries to the desired extent. Various leakages of revenue, improper management of resources and overall mismanagement results into increased expenditure. Many of these problems can be resolved through appropriate use of Information Technology. Smart Card technologies and Biometrics can play a key role through proper system integration.

The ECHS Smart Card would be India's largest Nationwide Smart Card project covering the entire country. As quoted by the DG (ECHS), Lt. Gen. Vijay Dua, during the inauguration of the Smart Card project, 'the scheme would be larger and better than the French Health Scheme which also uses the

Smart Card'. Volume issuance from all the 13 regions has started, hardware and software for Central location, Regional centers and polyclinics has already been deployed. Remote polyclinics have already started providing services to Ex-servicemen. Smart cards play a pivotal role in the scheme.

Another first to the credit of this project is the use of national Smart Card Operating System Standard (SCOSTA) specified by NIC, Government of India. Although the standard has been defined for quite some time now, it could not be adopted for implementation of any project. ECHS smart card project adopted the SCOSTA standard from the pre tendering state itself. The use of this open standard would ensure interoperability, compliance of International Security and Quality standards, and more importantly vendor independence.

Ex Servicemen Central Health Scheme (ECHS) was authorized by the Government of India on 30 Dec 2002, and has been introduced from 01 April 2003. It is a publicly funded Medicare scheme for ex-servicemen and pensioners & their eligible dependants, and will provide comprehensive, quality treatment through out-patient treatment at 227 Polyclinics all over India, and in-patient hospitalization & treatment through Military Hospitals and out-sourced Civil Hospitals & Diagnostic Centers at all these 227 locations, which will be empanelled for the purpose. Treatment/hospitalization in Service Hospitals will be available to ECHS members, subject to availability of specialty, medical staff and bed space. The ECHS Scheme has brought in tremendous flexibility and empowerment for pensioners. In order to meet the vast requirements to manage and effectively operate the scheme, Ministry of Defence, Government of India felt the need of a 'smart', secure low cost media which could store/ update critical information. In fact the Scheme became operational as the 'smart card' could provide solutions to most of the concerns of the Government. The major needs which have been successfully addressed by the smart card solution includes the following;

Secure Identity card for the ex-servicemen and all the dependants who are entitled to avail the benefits of the scheme. The security of various processes is ensured through a combination of:

Key Management System

Biometric

Data communication Security
India's First National Level SCOSTA Based Health Project
Why The French Health Care System Should Be Replicated Everywhere
Earlier Blog Post
ECHS Smart Card reduced to a dummy

Comment: Due to lack of networking the smart card is just used as identity proof of an Veteran or his dependants. No database of medical records are created or updated. Stock Inventory and medical provisioning is not automated for exploiting the SMART Card.

National Security: Information and Cyber Warfare

The Tribune Tuesday, July 13, 2010, Chandigarh, India
Information Warfare
Decision makers should log-on to the nuances
Vulnerable information networks can adversely affect national security and create utter chaos. Safeguarding them is critical and the country ought to move fast to secure its cyber assets as potential adversaries already have an edge
Lt Gen Harbhajan Singh (Retd)
"For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill." So said noted Chinese military strategist and philosopher Sun Tzu. No doubt what he meant was ways to outwit and outmaneuver the enemy without resorting to arms.

Today this translates to a type of warfare dominated by the use and manipulation of information and information networks and subversion of data to one's own advantage, thereby bringing down an enemy by without actually firing a shot.

Information warfare is the offensive and defensive use of information and information systems to deny, exploit, corrupt, or destroy, an adversary's information, information-based processes, information systems, and computer-based networks while protecting one's own. Such actions are designed to achieve advantages over military, political or business adversaries.

One of the prime aims of Information warfare is to so manage the perception of the enemy top decision makers and even its people, that a nation's aims are met without recourse to war.

We are living in the Information Age. The means of gathering and disseminating information are exploding -- TV, Internet, media, news on cell phones, e-newspapers and e-books are available at home, in the work place and even on the move. The maxim, 'seeing is believing' has made TV very powerful in forming opinions and perceptions. Internet is another means used extensively. These are already being used as vehicles for information and disinformation. Since information is such a powerful tool, contesting entities, may they be nations, politicians, economic czars, terrorist organizations try and exploit its use and deny the same to the adversary. This leads to Information Warfare.

The terminology "Information Warfare" covers propaganda or disinformation leading to "perception management", which is making the targeted people believe, what you want them to believe. This is used both during peace and war, in diplomacy, politics, and economic relations and even in sports (pre match sound bytes!!). Before important international conferences, news leaks by unnamed representatives are commonly used to put pressure on the other side. The propaganda blitz during elections is also common the world over.

In a war scenario, information warfare starts much earlier, even before war clouds start to build. The warring nations may try and project their policy and strengths through speeches, press releases, pictures of their armed forces and so on. Aim being not only to detract the enemy from his plans and thinking but also to mould a favorable international opinion, in particular of international power centers, so important in today's world. The aim may be to see if the national objectives can be met or facilitated through information warfare and actual war avoided. On the other hand some powerful nations may use this to justify to their own people and the world at large going to war!

In any kind of warfare, there are both the offensive and defensive aspects. The aim has to be having an overwhelming edge on the adversary in propaganda. The offensive part also includes using electronic and ballistic means to disable or destroy enemy's TV and radio stations or jamming them.

This aspect of Information warfare has to be planned and coordinated at the highest level as part of national strategy. What to project at what time and how. In our case, the PMO will have to get involved.

In a war situation, Information warfare operations are to be undertaken, in the military arena; propaganda/perception management being a part and parcel. The armed forces today depend heavily on electronic systems, including communications, surveillance devices (satellites, radars, UAVs), weapon systems (missiles, rockets, guns), air and naval operations and electronic warfare. Information or intelligence is passed instantaneously, processed and disseminated speedily. Plans and orders issued and their implementation monitored leading to Network Centric Warfare. All such systems heavily depend on use of computers.

Information warfare is also integral part of deception. Use of computers enables doctoring of images quite realistically. This can help in projecting troops, aircraft, ships and weapon systems where they are not. According to Sun Zu, All warfare is based on deception.

Over 70 per cent of all intelligence is derived using electronic interceptions, both in peace and war. The aim has to be to make the battlefield transparent to own forces and blind the enemy. This is one of the prime objectives of information operations during war.

Disabling or doctoring enemy's computer based systems while ensuring use of the same by own forces is a critical aspect of information operations. This is also termed cyber warfare. However, cyber warfare is not restricted to armed forces networks but includes all national critical resources like transportation, water supply, law and order, telecommunications, financial systems (banking, stock markets), news media, medical etc. In short all systems which can adversely affect the war effort, the lives of people and thus create chaos. Safeguarding all such systems is critical to overall war effort.

Cyber warfare covers hacking and spread of viruses. The worst is to doctor the functioning of systems so that these get out of control. There are many reports of Indian and American computer systems being hacked. The fingers point invariably towards China, which has taken cyber warfare very seriously and made it a pillar of its strategy. It has raised a number of cyber warfare divisions.

India has also set up some organisations to counter these threats, both at national and military levels but much more needs to be done and fast. India has the required brains and technical resources. What is needed is the national will and according required priority and resources.

Our political leaders and bureaucrats who are the ultimate decision makers need to be well versed in the nuances of this new form of warfare. As of now, our potential adversaries have a big edge.
(The author is a former Signals Officer-in-Chief of the Indian Army)
Information Warfare: Decision makers should log-on to the nuances

National and Personal Security: Staying Safe on Social Network Sites

Keep off social networking sites, Army tells its men
The Army has told its officers to keep off social networking sites and refrain from posting sensitive information like their rank, unit or posting location on the Internet. The instructions follow a spate of cyber attacks targeting military personnel and fears that foreign agencies could be tracking networking sites like Orkut and Facebook to home in on Army officers. Under the strict provisions of the Army Act, personnel can be dismissed from service and even face imprisonment for sharing sensitive information that can be accessed by outside agencies.
Click links below:
Keep off social networking sites, Army tells its men
Army warning on networking sites, officials posting info to face action
National Security: Army Major's computer was accessed from Pakistan- earlier RMS Blog post

Staying Safe on Social Network Sites
The popularity of social networking sites continues to increase, especially among teenagers and young adults. The nature of these sites introduces security risks, so you should take certain precautions.

How can you protect yourself?
Limit the amount of personal information you post - Do not post information that would make you vulnerable, such as your address or information about your schedule or routine. If your connections post information about you, make sure the combined information is not more than you would be comfortable with strangers knowing. Also be considerate when posting information, including photos, about your connections.

Remember that the internet is a public resource - Only post information you are comfortable with anyone seeing. This includes information and photos in your profile and in blogs and other forums. Also, once you post information online, you can't retract it. Even if you remove the information from a site, saved or cached versions may still exist on other people's machines (see Guidelines for Publishing Information Online for more information).

Be wary of strangers - The internet makes it easy for people to misrepresent their identities and motives (see Using Instant Messaging and Chat Rooms Safely for more information). Consider limiting the people who are allowed to contact you on these sites. If you interact with people you do not know, be cautious about the amount of information you reveal or agreeing to meet them in person.

Be skeptical - Don't believe everything you read online. People may post false or misleading information about various topics, including their own identities. This is not necessarily done with malicious intent; it could be unintentional, an exaggeration, or a joke. Take appropriate precautions, though, and try to verify the authenticity of any information before taking any action.

Evaluate your settings - Take advantage of a site's privacy settings. The default settings for some sites may allow anyone to see your profile. You can customize your settings to restrict access to only certain people. However, there is a risk that even this private information could be exposed, so don't post anything that you wouldn't want the public to see. Also, be cautious when deciding which applications to enable, and check your settings to see what information the applications will be able to access.

Use strong passwords - Protect your account with passwords that cannot easily be guessed (see Choosing and Protecting Passwords for more information). If your password is compromised, someone else may be able to access your account and pretend to be you.

Check privacy policies - Some sites may share information such as email addresses or user preferences with other companies. This may lead to an increase in spam (see Reducing Spam for more information). Also, try to locate the policy for handling referrals to make sure that you do not unintentionally sign your friends up for spam. Some sites will continue to send email messages to anyone you refer until they join.

Use and maintain anti-virus software - Anti-virus software recognizes most known viruses and protects your computer against them, so you may be able to detect and remove the virus before it can do any damage (see Understanding Anti-Virus Software for more information). Because attackers are continually writing new viruses, it is important to keep your definitions up to date.

Do not use pirated software or programs.

Children are especially susceptible to the threats that social networking sites present. Although many of these sites have age restrictions, children may misrepresent their ages so that they can join. By teaching children about internet safety, being aware of their online habits, and guiding them to appropriate sites, parents can make sure that the children become safe and responsible users (see Keeping Children Safe Online for more information).
Staying Safe on Social Network Sites

National Security: Naval war room leak case accused Shankaran arrested in London

Thu May 20 2010, 20:00 hrs
New Delhi:
In a major breakthrough in the Naval war room leak case, one of the main accused Ravi Shankaran, a close relative of the then Naval Chief Admiral Arun Prakash, was arrested in London.
"He has been arrested by the police in London and is at present out on bail. We have moved papers for his extradition," CBI Director Ashwani Kumar said. 46-year old Shankaran, against whom an Interpol Red Corner notice was issued in 2006, is one of the main accused who had allegedly passed on vital information to certain arms dealers for procurement for Indian Navy.

He was declared a proclaimed offender in 2006 with the government revoking his passport and approaching a UK court for his arrest. However, he had managed to give a slip to London Police and was believed to have been roaming in countries like France, Italy and Denmark.
Naval war room leak case accused Shankeran arrested in London

India seeks Navy spy custody May 20th, 2010
DC Correspondent
The naval war room leak, uncovered in 2005, involved alleged illegal trade-off of classified documents relating to defence acquisitions by persons including former Navy and IAF officers for private firms dealing with defence supplies.

Five persons including Shankaran were initially charge-sheeted by the CBI in the case. Shankaran is a relative of the former naval chief, Admiral (Retd.) Arun Prakash. The CBI hailed Shankaran’s arrest as a major breakthrough. The CBI’s investigations a few years ago had showed that defence leaks had taken place including details of a top secret naval project titled the Network Centric Operation (NCO).

“This crucial information can give an enemy country an advantage of knowing what are the command networks, network topography, pattern of data flow from command centres (both onshore and offshore) to battleships and topography of the computer network on the battlefield itself. With this information, an enemy power can use information warfare to block data flow (flow of orders) from command centres to warships/submarines at crucial moments or cause wrong orders to be communicated, by interfering with the network data flow by way of launching hacking attacks ," the CBI had stated in its chargesheet submitted in 2006 before a special court.

The CBI had estimated that the information leaked could be worth billions of dollars in a commercial transaction
India seeks Navy spy custody

ECHS Smart Card reduced to a dummy

India's First National Level SCOSTA Based Health Project: A Smart Card Failure Story
Various Schemes have been operational in India and the Government has been spending millions of Rupees on these schemes, but the benefits of these schemes do not reach the entitled beneficiaries to the desired extent. Various leakages of revenue, improper management of resources and overall mismanagement results into increased expenditure. Many of these problems can be resolved through appropriate use of Information Technology. Smart Card technologies and Biometrics can play a key role through proper system integration.

The ECHS Smart Card would have been India's largest Nationwide Smart Card project covering the entire country. As quoted by the DG (ECHS), Lt Gen Vijay Dua, during the inauguration of the Smart Card project, 'the scheme would be larger and better than the French Health Scheme which also uses the Smart Card'. Volume issuance from all the 13 regions has started, hardware and software for Central location, Regional centers and polyclinics has already been deployed. Remote polyclinics have already started providing services to Ex-servicemen. Smart cards play a pivotal role in the scheme.
Read more:
ECHS Smart Card

Present status after spending millions of Rupees
The ECHS Polyclinics have made the SMART Card a paper dummy and its use is confined to identify the ESM and dependants. There is no networked computers visible in the ECHS Polyclinics. The registration at OPD is carried out manually by 2 to 3 clerks with multiple registers and using methods evolved and in vogue 40 years back for documentation of patients. The time taken for each ESM Patient averages about 15 minutes. Practically each clerk can handle about 20 patients in a day. What a waste of time. A typical cart before the horse scheme for welfare of Ex- servicemen! Had DG ECHS witnessed the French Bastille day celebrated on July 14, 2009 led this year by a detachment of the Indian army, he would have certainly put the horse before the cart. Today we are nowhere anywhere near the French Health Scheme, just that similarity ends with the SMART card.

Corps of Signals- Happy Corps Day

Dear Signallers,
"REPORT MY SIGNAL"

WISHES YOU ALL AND YOUR FAMILIES
A VERY HAPPY CORPS DAY
HAVE A NICE DAY.
In Service of Indian Military Veterans
Chander Kamboj

We never get what we want,
We never want what we get,
We never have what we like,
We never like what we have,
Still we Live and Love.
This is Life........

Brig VA Subramanyam (Retd)

Corps of Signals: Info Warriors

Corps of Signals will be celebrating its 99th Raising Day on 15 Feb 2009
Corps of Signals webpage: Click here
The aim and objective of Signals Corps is to make the Indian Army Network Enabled Force by 2012 and Network Centric Force by 2017. This will entail consolidation of all networks so as to provide the Indian Army with an optimal, secure, reliable and robust infrastructure that can meet both operational and peacetime requirements and one that is capable of withstanding technical and physical degradation. The Corps remains the lead agency and nodal centre for information and cyber security both within the Defence Services and at the National level.

The momentous strides made by the Corps in the last few decades have truly been stupendous and without parallel. It has transited to a network enabled force, propelled by the intellect, sustained hard work and the inherent urge to excel which have been so vividly displayed by all officers and men. The domain of enhancing communication in the Tactical Battle Area and the facilitation of synergy of C4I2 elements are going to be the major thrust areas for the future. The Corps is forward looking, with finely honed procedures and exacting standards for execution of tasks. The Corps has always had an abiding and strong ethical foundation. With character comes reputation, and the esteem that the Corps enjoys today stems from the value system and ethos which need to be continually preserved and nurtured. The Corps has also evolved drills and procedures that ensure the provision of reliable and responsive communications to the Army under harsh terrain and tough battle field conditions and is living up to the motto of the Corps - "TEEVRA CHAUKAS" or "Swift and Secure".
Corps of Signals

Indian defense minister urges networking

NEW DELHI, Jan. 30 (UPI) Indian Defense Minister Shri AK Antony is calling on India's private and public sectors to pool resources for defense research and development.

Antony addressed a crowd of defense industry professionals Tuesday at the National Seminar on Defense R&D and Technology Management. Antony urged audience members to increase collaboration to ensure that India's research establishments produce state-of-the-art products.

"The variables which impact our defense preparedness and threat assessments, including regional and global political dynamics, are in a state of continuous flux, forcing us to constantly reassess threats to our security," Antony said in a statement.

Antony cited the recent Society of Defense Technologists' contributions towards pooling of technological resources by organizing seminars and workshops among other events. He called on the audience to network in order to address India's greater defense goals.

"As we increasingly globalize and cooperate across international borders for the development and production of defense products, as the number of entities involved in defense material production and management grow rapidly, and as the number of players, particularly from the private sector, increase with the introduction of the off-set policy, it becomes all the more important that all players are enabled to network effectively," Antony said.

Credit: Anthony urges networking