The Cyber Threat

In the afternoon of 15th July an identical message tweeted by a series of high-profile verified Twitter accounts, asking people to donate Bitcoins, promising a double return.
The accounts were of U.S. presidential candidate of democrats Joe Biden, former U.S. President Barack Obama, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, reality television star Kim Kardashian, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, billionaire Elon Musk, and rapper Kanye West, among many others.
There have been hacks of prominent users before, including the infamous hack of Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey, last year.

But the nature of this attack is one of the most pronounced security breaches on a social media site.
Jack Dorsey tweeted about the major breach that, “the company was diagnosing and will share everything we can when we have a more complete understanding of exactly what happened.” He called it a “tough day” at Twitter.
Cybersecurity experts have expressed their concern and warned that this type of breach, where influential accounts are taken over, could have devastating effects if used for something more dangerous than to take money from unsuspecting users. The consequences could be greater if it involved an account like Trump’s or spread misinformation on some type of global security threat.

Cyber law in India
Hacking is not the only offence related to the cyber world. In recent weeks you must have heard about some celebrities, complaining about rape and murder threats, they are getting on their social media accounts. After the death of young bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, on social media many of his fans blamed some of his contemporaries. And than a series of threat and abuse started pouring into these celebs’ social media accounts. All such type of bullying and threat comes under the cyber crime.

In year 2000 India had passed its first cyber-law, The Information Technology Act, 2000. The act deals with cyber-crime and electronic commerce. Some of the important sanctions of the law is defined here.

1. Hacking and Data Theft: Sections 43 and 66 of the IT Act penalise a number of activities ranging from hacking into a computer network, data theft, introducing and spreading viruses through computer networks, damaging computers or computer networks or computer programmes, disrupting any computer or computer system or computer network, denying an authorised person access to a computer or computer network, damaging or destroying information residing in a computer etc. The maximum punishment for the above offences is imprisonment of up to three years or a fine or Rupees five lac or both.
2. Tampering with computer, computer system, or computer network: Section 43(h) read with section 66 of the IT Act penalises an individual who charges the services availed of by a person to the account of another person by tampering with or manipulating any computer, computer system, or computer network. A person who tampers with the computer system of an electricity supplier and causes his neighbour to pay for his electricity consumption would fall under the aforesaid section 43(h) of the IT Act.
3. Tampering with computer source documents: Section 65 of the IT Act prescribes punishment for tampering with computer source documents which includes listing of programs, computer commands, design and layout and programme analysis of computer resource in any form. The punishment for this offence is imprisonment for up to three years or with a fine which may extend to Rupees three lac or with both.
4. Receipt of stolen property: Section 66B of the Act prescribes punishment for dishonestly receiving any stolen computer resource or communication device. The act should have been done dishonestly or should have reason to believe that it was stolen property. The punishment for this offence is imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to Rupees one lac or both.
5. Identity theft and cheating by personation: Section 66C of the IT Act prescribes punishment for identity theft and provides that anyone who fraudulently or dishonestly makes use of the electronic signature, password or any other unique identification feature of any other person shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine which may extend to Rupees one lac.
6. Cheating by personation by using computer resource: Section 66D of the act prescribes the punishment for this crime and says that any person who by means of any communication device or computer resource cheats by personation, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine which may extend to Rupees one lac.
7. Violation of privacy: Section 66E of the IT Act prescribes punishment for violation of privacy and provides that any person who intentionally or knowingly captures, publishes or transmits the image of a private area of any person without his or her consent, under circumstances violating the privacy of that person, shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to three years or with fine not exceeding Rupees two lac or with both.
8. Obscenity: Sections 67, 67A and 67B of the IT Act prescribe punishment for publishing or transmitting, in electronic form: (i) obscene material; (ii) material containing sexually explicit act, etc.; and (iii) material depicting children in sexually explicit act, etc. respectively.
9. Cyber terrorism: Whoever, with intent to threaten the unity, integrity, security or sovereignty of India or to strike terror in the people or any section of the people, denies or causes the denial of access to any person authorized to access a computer resource, or attempts to penetrate or access a computer resource without authorisation or exceeding authorised access, or introduces or causes the introduction of any computer contaminant, and by means of such conduct causes or is likely to cause death or injuries to persons or damage to or destruction of property or disrupts or knowing that it is likely to cause damage or disruption of supplies or services essential to the life of the community or adversely affect critical information infrastructure, is guilty of ‘cyber terrorism’. Section 66F of the IT Act prescribes punishment for cyber terrorism the imprisonment may extend to imprisonment for life.

Complaint & Procedure

The very first step to file a cyber crime complaint is to register a written complaint with the cyber crime cell. According to the IT Act, 2000, a cyber crime comes under the purview of global jurisdiction. Means that a cyber crime complaint can be registered with any of the cyber cells in India, irrespective of the place where it was originally committed.

In some cities, online complaint can also be filed. But if one has no access to cyber cell than a first information report can be registered at the local police station. In case complaint is not accepted there, one can directly approach the Commissioner or the city’s Judicial Magistrate.