It is not that the Indian Parliament is oblivious of the fact. Even parliamentarians are worried about this grave danger. BJP MP and member of the parliamentary committee on IT and communications Rajendra Aggarwal asks for a ban on SIM cards coming from China. He also seeks an audit check of the SIM cards which have already reached the country. He says, “The government should take immediate steps in this regard. The SIM cards which have come from China should be put to security audit. I am not against trade with China but the trade which puts our security in danger should be stopped.” The same apprehension is expressed by Prabhat Jha, MP and also a member of the same committee. He says, “Import of SIM cards from China is inviting danger.”
If the Chinese hackers hack the secure unique authentication key of the Indian SIM cards which are in china and pass it on to terrorists planning to spread violence in India, it can lead to a disaster. In countries like US, instances have been found where terrorists have cloned SIM cards and used them to not only talk to their handlers but also to trigger bomb blasts. The terrorists which attacked Indian Parliament also used a cloned phone. Now, when the government is strict about the verification of identity before issuing mobile connections, the possibility of using cloned phone increases. If the secure unique authentication key of a SIM is known, then any mobile number of the Indian network can be put on the Pakistani mobile network. A defence officer says, “We found a mobile with a terrorist and were stunned to find that the SIM of Indian network was working on Pakistan mobile network. It becomes very difficult for Intelligence agencies to trace such mobile numbers.”
Even then, DoT keeps its eyes closed. The way in which interests of Chinese companies are being safeguarded hints at a big scandal. TSI has in its possession the report of the committee under the chairmanship of the member technical of the DoT which was submitted on April 1, 2010. The committee was set up by the department of telecommunication to give security clearance to equipment and software bought by the cellular companies. This report has a few parameters for obtaining security clearance and the list of 15 equipment and software for which cellular operators will require the government’s permission. But the circular issued on December 3, 2009, asked the operators to take security clearance from the department if they bought any software or equipment. According to this circular, even SIM cards require security clearance. The sources informed TSI that while the list of the equipment and software which needed security clearance was being finalised, it had even SIM cards on it. But it was removed at the last moment. Why was this done? Was it the carelessness of the department or a planned omission? It will get clear only after an inquiry.
If the Chinese hackers hack the secure unique authentication key of the Indian SIM cards which are in china and pass it on to terrorists planning to spread violence in India, it can lead to a disaster. In countries like US, instances have been found where terrorists have cloned SIM cards and used them to not only talk to their handlers but also to trigger bomb blasts. The terrorists which attacked Indian Parliament also used a cloned phone. Now, when the government is strict about the verification of identity before issuing mobile connections, the possibility of using cloned phone increases. If the secure unique authentication key of a SIM is known, then any mobile number of the Indian network can be put on the Pakistani mobile network. A defence officer says, “We found a mobile with a terrorist and were stunned to find that the SIM of Indian network was working on Pakistan mobile network. It becomes very difficult for Intelligence agencies to trace such mobile numbers.”
Even then, DoT keeps its eyes closed. The way in which interests of Chinese companies are being safeguarded hints at a big scandal. TSI has in its possession the report of the committee under the chairmanship of the member technical of the DoT which was submitted on April 1, 2010. The committee was set up by the department of telecommunication to give security clearance to equipment and software bought by the cellular companies. This report has a few parameters for obtaining security clearance and the list of 15 equipment and software for which cellular operators will require the government’s permission. But the circular issued on December 3, 2009, asked the operators to take security clearance from the department if they bought any software or equipment. According to this circular, even SIM cards require security clearance. The sources informed TSI that while the list of the equipment and software which needed security clearance was being finalised, it had even SIM cards on it. But it was removed at the last moment. Why was this done? Was it the carelessness of the department or a planned omission? It will get clear only after an inquiry.
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