Media reports that websites of Defence and External Affairs Ministries were attacked by Chinese hackers are being verified and steps taken to secure cyber space, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Minister of State for Communications and IT Sachin Pilot said during Question Hour that the government is aware of the report and is investigating the information stated in it.

"An agency of the government has been investigating such types of attacks by adversaries for some time. Attack attempts were witnessed on selected information systems," he said.

An investigation was launched into the matter prior to the media reports and the probe agency is working in close coordination with various agencies to identify reportedly affected systems and their locations, Pilot said.

The minister also said there was a committee comprising officials of his ministry, MEA and other related ministries which meets to discuss solutions to such a problem.

"The government is aware of this challenge and is actively working to secure cyber space. The IT Act of 2000 was amended in 2008 and was enforced last year. It provides legal framework to address issues connected with hacking and security breaches of IT infrastructure," he said.

Pilot also said that as per existing computer security guidelines issued by the government, no sensitive information is to be stored on the systems that are connected to Internet.

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) scans the Indian cyber space to detect traces of any untoward incident that poses a threat to cyber space, the minister said, adding that India has been contacting several countries to exchange know-how on the subject.