Signalling an increasing trend in cyber security incidents, the government today said its agency Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has handled over 13,000 such incidents in 2011 compared to 8,266 incidents in 2009.

"CERT-In has observed that there is significant increase in the number of cyber security incidents in the country. A total of 8,266, 10,315 and 13,301 security incidents were reported to and handled by CERT-In during 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively," Minister of State for Communications and IT Sachin Pilot said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

These security incidents include website intrusions, phishing, network probing, spread of malicious code like virus, worms and spam, he added.

Operational since 2004, CERT-In is the national nodal agency for responding to computer security incidents as and when they occur.

As per information available with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), a total 966 cases of cyber crime reported under Information Technology Act, 2000 in 2010, Pilot said.

The data showed that a total of 288, 420 and 966 cyber crime cases were registered under the IT Act during 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively.

Under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), a total of 176, 276 and 356 cyber crimes were reported during 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively, he said.

In response to a separate query, Pilot said 1,193 people were arrested in the country in 2010 under the IT Act.

The offences included tampering computer source documents, hacking, obscene publication in electronic form, unauthorised attempt to access protected computer systems, breach of confidentiality, publishing false digital signature certificate among others, he added.