In the face of increasing cyber-attacks and malware offensives on defence systems and other critical infrastructure across India, the Indian Defence Ministry is replacing the Microsoft Operating System with Maya OS, which is an open-source Ubuntu developed locally.
Ubuntu is a free, open-source operating system based released in 2004
According to an official who is familiar with the operating system said, “Maya has the interface and all functionality like Windows, and users will not find any differences as they transition to it. To begin with, the direction is to install the Maya operating system on all computers connected to the Internet in South Block before August 15, 2023.”
Reasons for Replacement
The Indian Defence System Network is wide and complex. The majority of the computers in the hands of actively deployed defence personnel are not connected to the internet. However, the Defence Ministry has hundreds of PCs connected to the World Wide Web. Needless to say, these computers can be targeted by malware.
The state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups routinely target such systems, which could be holding sensitive information or allow deeper penetration into networks.
Considering the potency of cyber warfare and the possibilities of cyber-attacks along with espionage and data theft, the Indian Army initiated steps to raise dedicated internet networks in all six operational commands.
In November 2022, a powerful cyber attack on all five servers of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi pointed to China-based hackers. Another malicious cyber-attack occurred for a second time in AIIMS on June 6, 2023, but it was successfully thwarted.
Cyberspace is getting increasingly vulnerable to hacker attackers globally. Over 500 million cyberattacks were reported in India alone in the first quarter of this calendar year, according to a report.
Additional Measures Undertaken
In May 2023, the Defence Cyber Agency conducted cyber security drills, and this included the participation of various branches in national security. The main focus was to evaluate the effectiveness of the firewalls in service to safeguard the country’s vital infrastructure.
Additionally, an end-point detection and protection system known as Chakravyuh is also being installed in these systems. Currently, Maya is being installed only in the Ministry of Defence and not on computers connected to the networks of the three services. This official said that the three services had also vetted it, and it would adopt on service networks as soon as possible.
The Indian Army and the Indian Air Force are currently evaluating it, while the Indian Navy has already procured it
Maya was developed by government agencies within six months, the official said. The new operating system is capable of preventing cyber threats and malware attacks, which had seen a steep increase, the official noted.
There have been a series of malware and ransom attacks in the country, including critical infrastructure, in the recent past. Also, there have been several efforts in the past as well as the defence ministry, to replace the Windows Operating System with Maya.
Other Government Initiatives
The Indian Government has dedicated several new incentives regarding cybersecurity in India. Some of which are Indian Cyber Coordination Centre (I4C), Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, Cyber Surakshit Bharat, Cyber Swacchata Kendra and the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre.
Impact on National Security
The most important fact to be noted is that cyber-attacks cannot be predicted, and response time is very scarce. Cyberattacks can have devastating consequences on national security. Cyber-attack on critical infrastructure, such as important power grids, will cripple the entire electricity of regions.
Cyber-attacks can reveal sensitive and classified information like diplomatic communications which will put the entire country at risk. Similar attacks on important financial and economic institutions will damage the economy of the country.
