Following reports of possible cyber attacks targeted at the Indian transport sector, the Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) yesterday (21 March) alerted the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) to augment their IT security systems, reports Economic Times.

This came after MoRTH received an alert from the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (Cert-In) about targeted intrusion activities directed towards the Indian transport sector.

"The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways received an alert from CERT-In regarding targeted intrusion activities directed towards Indian Transport sector with possible malicious intentions. The Ministry has advised departments and organisations under the transport sector to strengthen the security posture of their infrastructure," the Ministry said in a statement.

The Ministry has therefore requested not just NHAI and NHIDCL and their other wings, but also National Informatics Centre (NIC), Indian Road Congress (IRC), Indian Academy of Highway Engineers (IAHE), State PWDs, testing agencies, and automobile manufacturers to conduct the security audit of the entire IT system by CERT-In certified agencies.

The Ministry has advised that such security audits be held regularly, and that action should be taken as per their recommendations. It has also underscored that the audit report and action taken report be regularly submitted to the Ministry.