Current Affairs » Critical Information Infrastructure

Critical Information Infrastructure

What is ‘critical information infrastructure’, who protects it?

Why in the News?

Recently, the Census & National Population Register database has been declared as critical information infrastructure.

Key Points:

About 

Critical Information Infrastructure(CII):

  • As per the Information Technology Act, of 2000, ‘Critical Information Infrastructure’ means a computer resource, the destruction of which, shall have a negative impact on national security, economy, public health, or safety.
  • Under the Act, the government has the power to declare any data, database, IT network, or communications infrastructure as CII to protect that digital asset.
  • Any person who secures access or attempts to secure access to a protected system in violation of the law can be punished with a jail term of up to 10 years.

Critical  Information Infrastructure:

  • Transportation
  • Energy
  • Military
  • e-Government
  • Banking
  • Information & Telecommunication

Why is CII Protection Necessary?

  • The backbone of Critical Operations.
  • IT Failure leads to Crippling other Sectors.

Protection of CIIs in India

  • National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) acts as the nodal agency for taking all measures to protect the nation’s critical information infrastructure.

News Source: The Indian Express