Mumbai attack e-mails from Pak: Fadia

The email claiming the responsibility for the November 26, Mumbai terror strikes was sent from Pakistan and not from Russia, said ethical hacker and cyber security expert Ankit Fadia.

Initially a report had said the e-mail has been traced to a fictitious IP address in Russia. But some hawkish elements in Pakistan sent these mails through proxy-servers of Russia and Saudi Arabia, Fadia told media-persons in Hyderabad.

The mail was sent by terror outfit Deccan Mujahideen claiming responsibility of the Mumbai carnage followed by mails threatening to carry out more attacks in Indian.

Fadia said he has been regularly consulted by security agencies for breaking encrypted messages and this time too, the Mumbai Police consulted him to trace these mails which were sent soon after the Mumbai terror attacks.

The Navi Mumbai Police department had earlier consulted him to trace the terror email sent just a few minutes before the Ahmedabad serial blasts in August this ear, he said.

Fadia said that globally, there's been a tremendous rise in cyber rime--almost a ten-fold increase in the last five years. "The threat from cyber terrorism is very real. But there is very little response from the government. India is not yet fully prepared for such an attack," he said.

"A single computer intrusion through cyber terrorism can within minutes cause losses amounting to millions of dollars," he said. It is high time, the Centre initiates concrete measures in this regard, Fadia said.