Bomb Threat at Delhi Schools, Police Struggle to Trace Email Origins, Is Cybersecurity Failing Our Classrooms?

Two more schools in Delhi, Abhinav Public School in Rohini Sector-3 and Richmond Global School in Paschim Vihar, got bomb threat emails on Friday. This was the 11th incident of this kind this week. Students and staff were quickly evacuated by the authorities, and bomb disposal teams did thorough searches. Even though no bombs were found, the growing number of threats has made people very worried about the safety of schools and the lack of digital security.

Threats for the fourth day in a row

Bomb threats sent from unknown senders have hit Delhi schools for four days in a row. Today alone, threats like these were sent to more than 20 schools. Since July 15, they have been sent to at least 30 schools. A lot of the alerts turn out to be fake, but the stress and trouble they cause are real.

In a scene similar to earlier this week, parents rushed to pick up their kids, school gates were locked, and security measures were put in place. A mother whose child goes to one of the schools said, "As soon as I heard, I freaked out." "It's wearing on my mind."

Police Race to Follow the Digital Trail

Even after multiple warnings, Delhi Police's Cyber Cell is still having trouble figuring out where these emails came from. Investigators have found that most threats are sent through VPNs and anonymous dark web sites, which makes it hard to figure out who is sending them. In an earlier case, police tracked an email to a student who was 12 years old. The student admitted to sending the fake email and was let go after counseling.

Police sources stated that some threats may just be jokes, but it's also possible that jokes are being used as a cover for real threats. "We are looking into international cyber leads, but these actors are sophisticated," said a top official.

Is our school's cybersecurity broken?

The event has once again made people wonder about the security of Indian schools. A lot of schools don't have good email screening systems, and many staff members don't know much about phishing or threat emails.

"There needs to be a central set of rules for both physical and cyber safety." Someone who works in cybersecurity said, "Right now, we're just reacting."

Reactions in politics and the public

Atishi, who used to be the education minister of Delhi, was worried about the repeated threats and asked, "How much more trauma will our children have to go through before the authorities take real action?"

In the meantime, the Delhi government has told schools to go over their emergency plans, make sure they have quick escape drills, and work with the police.

What's Next?

• The people in charge of schools have been told to stay very alert.

• The police are adding more ways to look into cyber crimes, such as foreign cybercrime units.

• Cybersecurity experts have been asked to check the computers in schools.