Tracing electronic-evidence an uphill task, says NIA

Hyderabad: “Investigation agencies in the country are now facing two big challenges with regards to cyber offences. These are collection of electronic evidence from abroad and decryption of data lying with application providers,” said Inspector General of National Investigation Agency, Alok Mittal.

Mr Mittal was addressing a gathering at the Cyber Security Conclave 4.0 programme held by the Society for Cyberabad Security Council in Hyderabad on Tuesday. The conclave witnessed discussions on innovation and transformation in cyber resilience.

He said that the challenges of all agencies are now cyber communication technologies and platforms that are increasingly being exploited by terrorists and crime syndicates.

One of the pressing philosophical issues is that of privacy in cyber space and  security of the citizenry. Extreme stands on either side need to be shunned or a balance obtained between the two. It would not be a lie to say that at times commercial interests masquerade as concerns of privacy, he said.

“With countless providers, networks, applications, and means of communication,  options for lawful surveillance are evident. The operation of service providers in the user perspective has broken down the close nexus between law enforcement agencies and the location of critical information that is required for agencies to function effectively. This is the challenge faced by the agencies now,” said  Mr Mittal.

He added, “An important issue is how to get electronic evidence from abroad in cases involving the use of Internet-based platforms. New standards such as end-to-end encryption mean that evidence is lost forever. Criminals and terrorists are actively on the lookout for new applications that provide more stringent encryptions.”