Under Indian law, cybercrimes are dealt with under the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act). The penalties for committing cybercrime under the IT Act are as follows: Hacking: Hacking is an offense under Section 66 of the IT Act. The penalty for hacking is imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to five lakh rupees or both. Identity theft: Identity theft is an offense under Section 66C of the IT Act. The penalty for identity theft is imprisonment for up to three years and a fine of up to one lakh rupees. Publishing or transmitting obscene material: Publishing or transmitting obscene material is an offense under Section 67 of the IT Act. The penalty for publishing or transmitting obscene material is imprisonment for up to three years and a fine of up to five lakh rupees. Cyberstalking: Cyberstalking is an offense under Section 354D of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 66E of the IT Act. The penalty for cyberstalking is imprisonment for up to three years and a fine. Cyberbullying: Cyberbullying is not defined as an offense in the IT Act. However, it can be dealt with under Section 66A of the IT Act, which deals with sending offensive messages. The penalty for sending offensive messages is imprisonment for up to three years and a fine. Phishing: Phishing is an offense under Section 66D of the IT Act. The penalty for phishing is imprisonment for up to three years and a fine of up to one lakh rupees. Unauthorized access to a computer system: Unauthorized access to a computer system is an offense under Section 43 of the IT Act. The penalty for unauthorized access is a fine of up to one crore rupees. It is important to note that these penalties are not exhaustive and may vary depending on the severity of the offense committed. Additionally, other laws, such as the Indian Penal Code, may also be applicable in certain cases.

Dear client, India has strict cybercrime laws under the information technology (IT) Act, 2000 and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to address the offenses committed using the medium of digital technology. Hacking and unauthorized access: • Section 66: hacking or unauthorized access to a computer system can result in imprisonment of up to 3 years and a fine of Rs 5 lakhs. Identity theft and impersonation • Section 66C: using another person’s identity fraudulently which leads to the imprisonment of up to 3 years and a fine of Rs. 1 lakh. • Section 66D: online impersonation or cheating by pretending to be someone else is punishable with up to 3 years in jail and a fine of Rs 1 lakh. Cyberstalking and online harassment: • Section 67A: sending sexually explicit content electronically can lead to the punishment of 5 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10 lakhs. • Section 354D IPC: cyberstalking which means repeatedly following or contacting someone online can result I 3 years in jail for the first offense and for the 5 years for subsequent offense. Cyber terrorism: • Section 66F: If the cyber activities threaten the sovereignty of India or create public disorder the offender can face the punishment for the life imprisonment. Financial cybercrimes • Section 420 IPC: offenses include online fraud, including phishing and credit card scams, can lead to punishment for imprisonment which leads to 7 years of jail and a fine. • Section 66D IT Act: fraud through electronic communications like fake bank calls are punishable with imprisonment for the term up to 3 years and with the fine. Spreading fake news and hate speech • Section 66A this section is struck down in 2015 but still misused in some cases which originally penalized offensive messages online. • Section 505 IPC: This section imposes punishment for spreading false imprisonment leading to public disorder which result in 3 years of imprisonment. Data breach and privacy violation: • Section 72 this section deals with disclosing personal information without consent can lead to punishment for a term of 2 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh. Cyber extortion and ransomware attacks: • Section 384 IPC: cyber extortion, including ransomware attacks leads to the imprisonment up to 3 years • Section 66 IT act: using computers to commit extortion which results in the punishment for imprisonment up to 3 years and fine of Rs. 5 lakhs. I hope this answer helps, in case of future queries please feel free to contact us. Thank you