If there’s a Great Game afoot between India and China in the future, it may be fought over cyberspace too.

Researchers at the University of Toronto reported this weekend that an electronic spy operation from China may have infiltrated offices, including embassies and foreign ministries, in 103 countries. The research was conducted at the request of the Dalai Lama, and shows a targeted operation against Tibetan exile centres as well as South Asian governments.

This should send alarm bells ringing in India’s defence establishment. Last April, the government admitted that servers at the ministry of external affairs may have been hacked from computers originating in China. Besides threatening security matters, cyber attacks could steal financial information too.

India’s stance on cyber-warfare suffers from neglect. After 26/11, resources for intelligence gathering still aren’t enough. More needs to be done in this sphere if threats to India in this domain are to be countered. We should not wait for an “incident” to start devoting resources in this area.