Frontline One
Counterplan
The USFG should provide cyber assistance to India to help them secure the CMS.
Hack won’t work – India’s cyber-defenses are strong and improving.
Times of India ‘10
(Internally citing senior military officials - “Cyber war: Indian Army gearing up” - Times of India - July 19, 2010 –
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Cyber-war-Indian-Army-gearing-up/articleshow/6187297.cms)
The Indian Army is fighting attacks in the cyber world with electronic warfare capability of the "highest
standard", say officials pointing out that virtual strikes have shot up from hostile quarters in both sophistication and frequency. " The army is
cognisant of the threat to its cyber space from various state and non-state actors. But our network is well
secured in compliance with the highest standards of cyber security," a senior official in the military headquarters told IANS on
condition of anonymity. The official said the army has established an "impenetrable and secure wide area network
exclusively for its functioning". Officials in the 1.3 million force privately admit they are facing "next generation threats" and are rather worried over the complex
world of cyber warfare amid reports of Chinese and Pakistani spies targeting the Indian military establishment via the internet. Though attacks from hackers professional or amateur - can come from anywhere in the world, cyber onslaughts have been more frequent from China and Pakistan, which have reportedly been
peeking into India's sensitive business, diplomatic and strategic records. As per reports from the cyber industry, China and Pakistan hackers steal nearly six million
files worldwide every day. A report in the US-based Defence Systems magazine found that there were 25 million new strains of malware created in 2009. That
equals a new strain of malware every 0.79 seconds. The report underlines how the current cyber threat environment is dramatically changing and becoming more
challenging as the clock ticks. Howevever, the Indian army is confident. Revealing that secret
information had been secured with
unhackable electronic passwords, the official said various "cryptographic controls" have been incorporated in the wake of a significant number
of viruses, worms and other forms of malware. To address cyber defence, which is also under threat from terrorist outfits that have their own trained recruits,
officials said the army frequently upgrades its comprehensive cyber security policy to pro-actively deal with and anticipate these threats. The force has established
the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) to respond to attacks targeting the army's critical systems and infrastructure. Another official said the army has its
own cyber audit process conducted by cyber security personnel. "The audit is conducted in accordance with established security standards such as ISO 27001. Audit
of the network is a continuous and active process which helps identification and mitigation of vulnerabilities in a network to counter latest threats as also check the
network for cyber security policy compliance," he said. However, the official admitted there was no room for complacency in times of rapid technological change.
"In
the area of cyber space, the battle between hackers and defenders is an ongoing process, influenced by latest
army is constantly upgrading its network," he said.
technological developments. Due to the dynamic nature of threats, the
Frontline 2
Counterplan
The USFG should provide cyber assistance to India to help them secure the CMS.
Hack won’t work – India’s cyber-defenses are strong and improving.
Times of India ‘10
(Internally citing senior military officials - “Cyber war: Indian Army gearing up” - Times of India - July 19, 2010 –
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Cyber-war-Indian-Army-gearing-up/articleshow/6187297.cms)
The Indian Army is fighting attacks in the cyber world with electronic warfare capability of the "highest
standard", say officials pointing out that virtual strikes have shot up from hostile quarters in both sophistication and frequency. " The army is
cognisant of the threat to its cyber space from various state and non-state actors. But our network is well
secured in compliance with the highest standards of cyber security," a senior official in the military headquarters told IANS on
condition of anonymity. The official said the army has established an "impenetrable and secure wide area network
exclusively for its functioning". Officials in the 1.3 million force privately admit they are facing "next generation threats" and are rather worried over the complex
world of cyber warfare amid reports of Chinese and Pakistani spies targeting the Indian military establishment via the internet. Though attacks from hackers professional or amateur - can come from anywhere in the world, cyber onslaughts have been more frequent from China and Pakistan, which have reportedly been
peeking into India's sensitive business, diplomatic and strategic records. As per reports from the cyber industry, China and Pakistan hackers steal nearly six million
files worldwide every day. A report in the US-based Defence Systems magazine found that there were 25 million new strains of malware created in 2009. That
equals a new strain of malware every 0.79 seconds. The report underlines how the current cyber threat environment is dramatically changing and becoming more
challenging as the clock ticks. Howevever, the Indian army is confident. Revealing that secret
information had been secured with
unhackable electronic passwords, the official said various "cryptographic controls" have been incorporated in the wake of a significant number
of viruses, worms and other forms of malware. To address cyber defence, which is also under threat from terrorist outfits that have their own trained recruits,
officials said the army frequently upgrades its comprehensive cyber security policy to pro-actively deal with and anticipate these threats. The force has established
the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) to respond to attacks targeting the army's critical systems and infrastructure. Another official said the army has its
own cyber audit process conducted by cyber security personnel. "The audit is conducted in accordance with established security standards such as ISO 27001. Audit
of the network is a continuous and active process which helps identification and mitigation of vulnerabilities in a network to counter latest threats as also check the
network for cyber security policy compliance," he said. However, the official admitted there was no room for complacency in times of rapid technological change.
"In
the area of cyber space, the battle between hackers and defenders is an ongoing process, influenced by latest
technological developments. Due to the dynamic nature of threats, the army is constantly upgrading its network," he said.
( ) Successful hack couldn’t create havoc – too much of India’s critical infrastructure is
not yet online. Dedicated networks also check risk of an attack.
Shukla ‘13
Ajai Shukla is Indian journalist and retired Colonel of Indian Army. He currently works as Consulting Editor with Business
Standard writing articles on strategic affairs, defence and diplomacy. He earlier worked with DD News and NDTV– “India's
digital battleground” - Business Standard - June 21, 2013 - http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/india-sdigital-battleground-113062101013_1.html
India has been slow in fixing its attention on cyber security. This may partly be because much of the country's
critical infrastructure - power grids, public transportation, nuclear power plants, defence systems - is
controlled by manual systems, or by standalone computer systems that are not linked over the internet. In that respect,
India's infrastructural backwardness has proved useful against cyber-attacks. "It is not unusual to find central ministry
officials in New Delhi using unsecured email systems, sometimes even commercial email accounts on public servers. But India's sensitive networks
tend to be isolated, with no point of contact with the Internet that would render them vulnerable to
online hacking. Several agencies have their own dedicated, secure fibre-optic networks, notably the
military, Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO), and police's Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System," says Praveen Swami,
strategic affairs editor of Network18.
( ) CMS surveillance is not a honeypot of privacy. Aff exaggerates how much content is
truly being gathered.
Xynou ‘13
Maria Xynou is a Policy Associate on the Privacy Project at the Centre for Internet & Society. She has previously interned with
Privacy International and with the Parliament of Greece. Maria holds a Master of Science in Security Studies from the University
College London. “India's 'Big Brother': The Central Monitoring System (CMS)” – April 8th - http://cis-india.org/internetgovernance/blog/indias-big-brother-the-central-monitoring-system
Another cyber security expert argued that the
idea that the privacy of our messages and online activity would be
intercepted is a misconception. The expert stated that: ´The police are actually looking out for open source
intelligence for which information in public domain on these sites is enough. Through the lab, police can access what is
in the open source and not the message you are sending to your friend.´ Cyber security experts also argued that
the purpose of the creation of the Mumbai social media lab and the CMS in general is to ensure that Indian law
enforcement agencies are better informed about current public opinion and trends among the youth,
which would enable them to take better decisions on a policy level. It was also argued that, apparently, there is no harm in
the creation of such monitoring centres, especially since other countries, such as the U.S., are conducting the same type of surveillance, while have enacted
stringent privacy regulations. In other words, the
monitoring of our communications appears to be justified, as long as it is in
the name of security.
( ) New Freedom Act is sufficient to solve US’s global credibility gap.
HRW ‘15
Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human
dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. “Strengthen the USA Freedom Act” - May 19, 2015 http://www.hrw.org/news/2015/05/19/strengthen-usa-freedom-act
As the Senate considers the USA Freedom Act this week, policymakers should strengthen it by limiting large-scale collection of records and reinforcing transparency
and carrying court reforms further. The
Senate should also take care not to weaken the bill, and should reject any
amendments that would require companies to retain personal data for longer than is necessary for business purposes. It has been two years since the
National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden unleashed a steady stream of documents that exposed the intention by the United States and the
United Kingdom to “collect it all” in the digital age. These revelations demonstrate how unchecked surveillance can metastasize and undermine democratic
institutions if intelligence agencies are allowed to operate in the shadows, without robust legal limits and oversight. On
May 13, the US House of
Representatives approved the USA Freedom Act of 2015 by a substantial margin. The bill represents the latest attempt by Congress to rein in
one of the surveillance programs Snowden disclosed—the NSA’s domestic bulk phone metadata collection under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act. The House vote
followed a major rebuke to the US government by the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which ruled on May 7 that the NSA’s potentially nationwide
dragnet collection of phone records under Section 215 was unlawful. Section 215 is set to expire on June 1 unless Congress acts to extend it or to preserve specific
powers authorized under the provision, which go beyond collection of phone records. Surveillance reforms are long overdue and can be accomplished while
protecting US citizens from serious security threats. Congress and the Obama administration should end all mass surveillance programs, which unnecessarily and
disproportionately intrude on the privacy of hundreds of millions of people who are not linked to wrongdoing. But reforming US laws and reversing an increasingly
global tide of mass surveillance will not be easy. Many of the programs Snowden revealed are already deeply entrenched, with billions of dollars of infrastructure,
contracts, and personnel invested. Technological capacity to vacuum up the world’s communications has outpaced existing legal frameworks meant to protect
privacy. The Second Circuit opinion represents an improvement over current law because it establishes that domestic bulk collection of phone metadata under
Section 215 of the Patriot Act cannot continue. Section 215 allows the government to collect business records, including phone records, that are “relevant” to an
authorized investigation. The court ruled that the notion of “relevance” could not be stretched to allow intelligence agencies to gather all phone records in the US.
However, the opinion could be overturned and two other appeals courts are also considering the legality of the NSA’s bulk phone records program. The opinion also
does not address US surveillance of people not in the US. Nor does it question the underlying assumption that the US owes no privacy obligations to people outside
its territory, which makes no sense in the digital age and is inconsistent with human rights law requirements. Even if the Second Circuit opinion remains good law,
congressional action will be necessary to address surveillance programs other than Section 215—both domestic and those affecting people outside the US—and to
create more robust institutional safeguards to prevent future abuses. The courts cannot bring about reforms to increase oversight and improve institutional
oversight on their own. Human
Rights Watch has supported the USA Freedom Act because it is a modest, if
incomplete, first step down the long road to reining in the NSA excesses. Beyond ending bulk records collection, the bill would begin to reform the
secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Court, which oversees NSA surveillance, and would introduce new transparency measures to improve oversight. In
passing the bill, the House of Representatives also clarified that it intends the bill to be consistent with the Second Circuit’s ruling, so as to not weaken its findings.
The bill is no panacea and, as detailed below, would not ensure comprehensive reform. It still leaves open the possibility of
large-scale data collection practices in the US under the Patriot Act. It does not constrain surveillance under Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act nor Executive
Order 12333, the primary legal authorities the government has used to justify mass surveillance of people outside US borders. And the bill does not address many
modern surveillance capabilities, from mass cable tapping to use of malware, intercepting all mobile calls in a country, and compromising the security of mobile SIM
cards and other equipment and services. Nonetheless,
passing a strong USA Freedom Act would be a long-overdue step in the
right direction. It would show that Congress is willing and able to act to protect privacy and impose oversight
over intelligence agencies in an age when technology makes ubiquitous surveillance possible. Passing this bill would also help shift the
debate in the US and globally and would distance the United States from other countries that seek to
make mass surveillance the norm. On a global level, other governments may already be emulating the
NSA’s approach, fueling an environment of impunity for mass violations of privacy. In the last year, France, Turkey,
Russia, and other countries have passed legislation to facilitate or expand large-scale surveillance. If the
USA Freedom Act passes, it would be the first time Congress has affirmatively restrained NSA activities since
the attacks of September 11. Key supporters of the bill have vowed to take up reforms to other laws next, including
Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act.
( ) Deterrence checks India-Pakistan war.
Khan ‘12
(Ikram Ullah, analyst for the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute, “Nuclear Pakistan: Defence Vs Energy Development,” 7/26,
http://www.eurasiareview.com/26072012-nuclear-pakistan-defence-vs-energy-development-oped/)
We must be clear that nuclear
weapons are here to maintain peace and stability between Pakistan and India. Pakistan was
forced to run its nuclear weapon program due to India’s nuclear weapon program and its hegemonic ambition. Pakistan has long said that its
nuclear weapon program is security driven. While on other hand Indian nuclear weapon program is not security driven, rather it is based on
its regional and global aspirations. ¶ The security threats still exist for Pakistan, but due to its credible nuclear deterrence Pakistan is
capable of crushing such threats or plans. In the recent past, the tragedy, which many historians remember as the “Fall of Dhaka”, carries some lessons
for us to be learnt. If India could intervene at that time, then it is quite possible it could intervene in Baloachistan. Now the nuclear capability of
Pakistan deters India from perusing any kind of intervention because of the fear of perceived
consequences.¶ It is Pakistan’s credible nuclear deterrence capability that effectively neutralizes any ill intent of its opponent
against its integrity and sovereignty. It is evident that after the December 13, 2001 terrorists attack on Indian Parliament, India
mobilized its armed forces to attack on Pakistan, but refrained from doing so as it realized that any such
irrational action would lead to a nuclear war. The same was the case after Mumbai attacks on November 26, 2008
– the nuclear deterrence prevailed and it prevented the likelihood of an all out nuclear war in South Asia.
( ) India-Pakistan tensions will never escalate to the point where nuclear deployments
on seriously on the table.
Loudon ‘8
(Bruce Loudon has worked as a foreign correspondent since 1968. He has been visiting and reporting on Pakistan since the
1970s. He is currently The Australian’s South Asia correspondent. The Australian, “Doomsday dread”, December 04, 2008,
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24746635-25837,00.html)
THE doomsayers' published assessments tell the grim story: upwards of 12 million people killed on the first day of a nuclear exchange, more than 150 million dead
in a longer nuclear conflict. Devastation and destruction on a scale that is almost unimaginable. A catastrophe that would vastly transcend that seen at Hiroshima
and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. That is why, as India and Pakistan muscle up to each other after the Mumbai massacre and leaders from across the world
hurry to counsel cool heads and caution in New Delhi and Islamabad, the unspoken fear
everywhere is that the two South Asian
neighbours could be pushed into the unthinkable: their fourth war, and one in which they would mobilise their nuclear
arsenals. It is, it must be said, an unlikely prospect. No one in either capital -- even among the hotheads -- is
thinking in those terms. Experienced strategic analysts rule it out. "Don't even think about it. It ain't going to happen," one
says. But as the crisis over terrorism across South Asia deepens and jihadist groups linked to al-Qa'ida launch devastating attacks such as the one in Mumbai last
week -- attacks designed to exacerbate tensions between India and Pakistan -- there is, in the view of most analysts, always the potential for events to tumble out of
control and lead to a doomsday nuclear conflagration, with enormous loss of life. "South Asia's a nuclear tinderbox," a leading military analyst in New Delhi tells
The Australian. "Yes, of course, I'd just about rule it out in the context of the face-off following the Mumbai attack. "But it's always there, always nagging at the
edges of the constant tensions in the subcontinent. And there's no doubt that Osama (bin Laden) is doing his bit to stir the pot and do what he can to increase those
tensions, since conflict between India and Pakistan serves the jihadist cause." Yesterday, US military officials in Washington, DC, closely monitoring the situation
described the military temperature between the two neighbours as "pretty low right now", adding that although Pakistan has moved some aircraft and air defence
units closer to the Indian border since the Mumbai attack, "on the nuclear side there is nothing". Which is hardly surprising, for the
political will in both
sides, despite the muscle-flexing, is overwhelmingly against resort to their nuclear arsenals. India, since it demonstrated its
nuclear capability in 1998, has maintained a firm no-first-strike policy and a few days ago Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari turned longstanding Pakistani policy on
On both sides there is a mood of
extreme caution on the subject of any possible use of nuclear weapons, matched only by the intense secrecy that surrounds
its head (some believe to the annoyance of the country's powerful generals) by articulating a similar stance.
their arsenals.