Malware Equipped with Data Stealing Capabilities Reported Targeting Android Mobile Devices

Why in NEWS?

• A malware named ‘BlackRock’, equipped with data stealing capabilities, has been reported targeting the Android mobile devices, Parliament was informed recently about this attack.

ABOUT

• BlackRock can steal credentials from more than 300 apps like email clients, e-commerce apps, messaging/social media apps, entertainment apps, banking, financial apps etc.
• The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has published an alert on this virus in July 2020 on its website as well as Cyber Swachhta Kendra, and alerted the users regarding precautionary measures to be taken to ward off the virus.
• As per information made available by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), a total of 49 complaints regarding frauds in online shopping has been received till date.
• The government has operationalized the Cyber Swachhta Kendra to enable detection and cleaning of malicious code, this center operates in close coordination and collaboration with internet service providers (ISPs) and the industry.

CERT IN

• CERT-In is operational since January 2004. The constituency of CERT-In is the Indian Cyber Community. CERT-In is the national nodal agency for responding to computer security incidents as and when they occur.

CERT-In has been designated to serve as the national agency to perform the following functions in the area of cyber security:

• Collection, analysis and dissemination of information on cyber incidents.
• Forecast and alerts of cyber security incidents
• Emergency measures for handling cyber security incidents
• Coordination of cyber incident response activities.
• Issue guidelines, advisories, vulnerability notes and whitepapers relating to information security practices, procedures, prevention, response and reporting of cyber incidents.
• Such other functions relating to cyber security as may be prescribed.

CONCLUSION

• Government has taken a number of measures to check malicious apps and enable users to protect their mobile phones, including sending alerts and advisories about threats, vulnerabilities and malware affecting mobile phones along with countermeasures.
• The government has operationalized the Cyber Swachhta Kendra to enable detection and cleaning of malicious code.

Kutch Mangroves Destruction

Why in NEWS?

• The National Green Tribunal on Thursday directed the Environment Ministry and the Gujarat government to recover fine from violators responsible for destruction of mangroves in Kutch district.

ABOUT

• The National Green Tribunal on Thursday directed the Environment Ministry and the Gujarat government to recover fine from violators responsible for destruction of mangroves in Kutch district.
• The amount to be recovered has also been quantified along with the area where damage took place.
• Forest Department will be the nodal agency for compliance.
• It is alleged that Deen Dayal Port Trust in Gujarat”s Kutch district was not executing the directions issued by it to protect the mangroves in its vicinity from destruction.
• The NGT had last year directed that there shall be no obstruction of any kind in the creeks (a stream or minor tributary of a river) and free and continuous flow of estuarine water in the creeks will be ensured.

EFFECT

• The destruction of mangroves not only violates the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and Coastal Regulatory Zone Notification, 2011, but also deprives the indigenous Kharai camel species of its major food source, thereby affecting the livelihoods of several hundred camel breeders of the region.

CONCLUSION

• Mangroves protect shorelines from damaging storm and hurricane winds, waves, and floods. Mangroves also help prevent erosion by stabilizing sediments with their tangled root systems. They maintain water quality and clarity, filtering pollutants and trapping sediments originating from land.

Global Smart City Index 2020

IN NEWS

• Indian cities have witnessed a significant drop in their rankings in the global listing of smart cities that was topped by Singapore in Smart City Index 2020

ABOUT

• On September 17, 2020, the Institute for Management Development (IMD) along with Singapore University released the Smart City index for the year 2020.
• The report says that the Indian cities declined in their technological updates.
• It was released with key findings on how technology is playing a role in the COVID- 19 era.
• This year the Smart City index has ranked 109 cities from all over the world.
• The index has been prepared by capturing perceptions of 120 residents in each City.
• The residents were chosen randomly. The Chosen residents were asked questions on technological provisions in their cities in five areas such as mobility, health and safety, activities, governance and opportunities

Key Findings

• According to the report Indian cities slipped in their rankings.
• Hyderabad was at 85th position. The city was at 67th position in 2019.
• New Delhi slipped to 86th rank from 68th in 2019.
• Similarly, Mumbai and Bengaluru slipped from 78th and 79th position to 93rd and 95th position respectively.
• The Smart City Index 2020 was topped by Singapore
• It was followed by Helsinki and Zurich at second and third positions respectively.
• The other world cities that topped the list were Auckland at 4th position, Oslo at fifth position, Copenhagen at sixth, Genva at seventh, Taipei at eighth, Amsterdam at ninth, and New York at tenth position.

Reason for significant drop

• According to the report, the slipping might have been due to the pandemic. The pandemic had detrimental effect on these cities and on their technological advancements.
• Their technological advancements were not up to date. Out of the 15 indicators, the report says that air pollution is one of the key areas where these cities have to you prioritise on. Mumbai and Bengaluru face severe road congestion. On the other hand, Delhi and Hyderabad lagged on basic amenities.

About Smart City

• According to the Smart City Index, smart cities are those that apply technologies to diminish the shortcomings and enhance the benefits of urbanisation.

Exotic Fish Species

IN NEWS

• Eight different exotic fish species were recorded in a study on fishes in Ganga river, Rattan Lal Kataria, Minister of State in the Jal Shakti Ministry, said on September 17th 2020.

ABOUT

• In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, Kataria said under the Namami Gange Programme, a project of ''Assessment of fish and fisheries of the Ganga River System for developing suitable conservation and restoration plan'' was sanctioned to Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) for Rs 7.067 crore.
• As a result, many ecological parameters like dissolved oxygen conductivity indicated that the river health is improving.

About the Project

• The purpose of the exercise was to study fish and fisheries of river Ganga, assess the key habitat variables in relation to fish distribution and various biological activity of the fishes, seed production (in-situ) of selected fish species, fish ranching in the depleted river stretches and to conduct awareness programme on sustainable fisheries and conservation to local fishermen.
• The studies carried out under the project revealed a total of 190 fish species from the main stem of river Ganga.
• The project has addressed evaluation of native fish species, out of which, 15 near threatened, 2 vulnerable and 2 endangered have been found under the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List.
• Eight different exotic fish species have also been recorded.
• The fish catch trend data of Indian Major Carps and important fish species landing and their Catch Per Unit Efforts from different stretches revealed that the average year-wise Catch Per Unit Efforts doubled in 2019- 20 as compared to the previous years.

About the Fish Species

• The eight species include Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (silver carp), Aristichthys nobilis (big head carp), Ctenopharyngodon idella (grass carp), Cyprinus carpio var specularis, Cyprinus carpio var communis (common carp), Clarias gariepinus (African magur), Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus (suckermouth armoured sailfin cat fish) and Oreochromis niloticus (tilapia).

Benefits and Further Programs

• Kataria said that 30 lakh fingerlings were ranched through 40 ranching programmes along with mass awareness programmes in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal which benefited the livelihood of fishermen along the Ganga.
• Another project of ''Fish stock enhancement including Hilsa and livelihood improvement for sustainable fisheries and conservation in river Ganga'' has been recently sanctioned to CIFRI for expanding the work of fisheries development for the whole Ganga basin