Government launches free anti-virus for PC, mobile phones to strengthen Digital India initiative

India is on a fast track to digitisation and it is only logical to make sure the people of the country remain protected online. In order to strengthen Digital India initiative and accelerate its growth, the government has launched free anti-virus for PC and mobile phones.

With a budget of Rs. 90 crore for five years, the government has also launched anti-malware analysis centre to combat cybercrime in India. By providing the anti-virus tool for free, there is a better chance at convincing users to get on board with this initiative.

"I would like ISPs (Internet Service Provider) to encourage their consumers to come on board, there is a free service available. Come and use it in the event some malware has sneaked in to the system," IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said at the launch of Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre, PTI reported.

Cybersecurity is highly essential, especially at a time when India is investing heavily in digitisation. With the rise of digitisation, the scope for cybercrimes increases. There has been a steady increase in the cyber security incidents from 2014 to 2016.

According to Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), "a total number of 44,679, 49,455 and 50,362 cyber security incidents were observed during the years 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively," Minister of State for Electronics and IT PP Chaudhary said, IANS reported.

The new desktop and mobile security solution is launched under the name Cyber Swachhta Kendra, which will secure systems from any online threats. The anti-virus and anti-malware tools will disinfect systems, so users can browse and transact online safely.

As a part of the cybersecurity measure, the government launched dedicated tools such as USB Pratirodh, which controls usage of removable storage devices like USBs and pen drives, M-Kavach for mobile device security, AppSamvid, which protects systems by allowing only genuine apps in.

"With the increased penetration of ICT infrastructure in our country, the threat of cyber security has become more serious and visible. There is a need to collaborate and come forth with solutions like the Cyber Swachhta Kendra in order to ensure a safe and secure cyber world for the citizens," said Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, MeitY.