Soon, hack-proof Internet for government offices

Computer experts are resorting to old technology for creating a secure Internet network for sensitive ministries with the help of the Department of Telecommunications.

The DoT through the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) has set up secured and dedicated communication network (SDCN) in some of the sensitive ministries for intra-departmental classified communication, official sources said.

The project is in a testing stage and is expected to be completed by November end, they said.

The technology being adopted was Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) where copper or optical fibre is laid underground and interception is made difficult for hackers. Besides this, this technology offers advantages over traditional technologies such as increased efficiency, faster speed, and improved management.

The work related to the network roll-out in the national capital, the sources said.

The technology was used during the initial period when Internet became a household name. This technology was replaced by many other technologies including wireless Internet connection. However, these technologies are much prone to hacking and there have been reports of many computers affected by hackers especially those of the Ministry of External Affairs.

This improvised use of technology may not only reduce the risk of hacking or interception but will also help in keeping a watch on government employees using official computers for personal use, officials involved in the project said.

For using the SDCN, C-DOT has also developed a secured telephone handset which will also enable the communications to be encrypted at the handset stage itself, the sources said.

Government had decided to provide its top officials encrypted phones that will be working on reserved air frequency to ensure they have smooth communication in emergency situations like a bomb attack which see clogging of lines.

The need for having a secure mobile phone system for country's top leaders and bureaucrats was felt after telephone lines got jammed post-bomb blasts and natural disasters, leading to difficulties in communication among officials due frequent call droppings.

The meeting will also chalk out list of bureaucrats who would be getting these mobile phones, they said.

A secure telephone provides voice security in the form of "end-to-end" encryption of the call, and in some cases also ensures mutual authentication of the calling parties, protecting them against any interception attack.