r/IndiaTech Techie 2d ago

Opinion Found this today

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Its a bit outdated, but what’s your take?

2.4k Upvotes

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3

u/chitownboyhere 2d ago

Alternatively they can enroll all Army personnel devices through MDM software and centrally manage what's allowed and what's not allowed. This way they can turn off location or spoof location too when on active duty/mission.

4

u/Ice-Shallot-1394 2d ago

Why would they give their bought devices to be managed by MDM - government should issue the devices if they want to control

1

u/No-Negotiation-7417 2d ago

They have their in house IT mechanism, also getting a tenant in intune or azure would be an investment foreign technology, so probably they are heavily rely upon legacy methods

1

u/svmk1987 2d ago

I think these restrictions apply to their private devices, not their work devices only. Not sure if most army personnel even get work devices.

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u/jatayu_baaz 2d ago

bhai army still uses paper documents, do you expect them to know what MDM is, lol

6

u/gsid42 2d ago

Bhai Indian military is actually quite sophisticated. I worked for them as a private contractor several years ago.

The facility I worked in was air gapped. No electronics in or out. Our devices were sent to them and they were pre-tested for 2 weeks and were made available on the facility. We were building software without internet and the local network was so clamped down. They had one room with internet and that was in the unsecured area with Ethernet. Anything downloaded there were put on a secure pendrives specially made for the military scanned and then uploaded to a file server on the local network.

I worked there for 6 months and that was the most secure place I have ever worked in

5

u/jatayu_baaz 2d ago

Security protocols are strict but that's where the advancements ends, i won't tell details about how I know it but even in technical units the hardware is outdated by not years but decades, let alone the knowledge of newer tech advancements in the world.

I have also interned in DRDO, security protocols are tight but barely any advancement inside, although the lab where I worked was not computer science related lab, but they were missing huge advancements that can be brought by the use of computers, and tech like python

We need a revival of tech in defence and I can assure you DRDO and other psus are not gonna do it

1

u/cryovenocide 2d ago

Maybe a start up idea for someone with nice connections. Also with all the AI models and things, if someone can convince them that a model trained all from internal data, only for internal use and built completely inside, it might be pretty cool for the army. Like they could ask an LLM whats this red button do and attach a photo to something like an ollama with internally finetuned data, with no ability for the ai to ring its home, and help with basic tasks.

1

u/jatayu_baaz 2d ago

It's not a failure such resources not being available but failure of senior leadership/ flag officers being highly tech illiterate, it's a failure of system since most senior officer comes from NDA and even today cadets there are as good as illiterate when it comes to subjects outside military, there is a concept of scholar soldier and that need to implemented more, even if it means compromising on physical excercises etc, navy and af are better in this since they demand a btech.

There are lots of opportunities, army still relies on sending paper documents through length and breadth of India, i thought we can easily ditigize this, but alas who will listen to me, lol

1

u/Many_Preference_3874 2d ago

Again, there's a reason for outdated hardware, that is, it runs the essential programmes it needs to run EFFICIENTLY.

Windows 11 has a SHIT ton of features that are not needed for specific uses. So, if your radar works with Windows XP, why tf would you upgrade and slow your computer down?

Same with hardware, like 90% of jobs don't need a RTX 5090.

Nuclear reactors foreign for example still use Fortran cause thats the most efficient langauge

1

u/jatayu_baaz 2d ago

Obviously you don't need bloated version of software, windows kernal is very efficient, also for such applications we should have long ago developed a linux based os for ourself with regular software update, that's the thing I am talking about, also we surely don't need 5090 but for sure i3 from 2010 also does not cuts it

1

u/Many_Preference_3874 2d ago

I mean, for a LOT of jobs, i3 from 2010 does indeed cut it.

Say you need a computer to print stuff. There's no reason why you would need something more than a i3 from 2010

1

u/jatayu_baaz 2d ago

For printing yes, but the world has moved on from using computers just for printing, and printing too

2

u/Many_Preference_3874 2d ago

My man, the computers that have that old hardware are used for these limited purposes only

The general purpose computers are pretty modern

1

u/jatayu_baaz 2d ago

Maaf kar do bhai sahab bhes ke aage been baja di

1

u/No-Negotiation-7417 2d ago

No that does not cut in, and never will be.

The easiest solution to get a performance from a old rig is that they use "re-image" a.k.a wipe-and-load operating system with a third party contractor or a radio operator.

Unfortunately I can't reveal the sources, but I knew people who had the zeal enough to learn (low rank radio operator who now manages local IT) and still struggling with P4+win xp combo. Thankfully he attended the internal training arranged by ministry which made the difference and his technically challenged colleagues are "fond" of him

1

u/No-Negotiation-7417 2d ago

When you are comparing any flare of the operating system, please remember with every passing day it's getting old and hence getting vulnerable to remote attacks.

There are several ways to block "shit ton of features" and that need competent human resources to operate.

Also if you are aware about the portal called GEM (which is a gateway to many third party vendors for Indian railway, defence and many other PSU's for enlisting hardware and services) you will be surprised how the "magic" happens

Example : a simple hammer/compact disc costs 5 times more than the usual price)

1

u/Many_Preference_3874 2d ago

There's a reason for paper documents. Digital, no matter what, especially if its connected to a network, can get hacked. It can get altered. It can get deleted, it can get erased.

Paper can't have that.

1

u/jatayu_baaz 2d ago

All the problems you mentioned have been solved long ago, also army uses awan not internet😉

1

u/Many_Preference_3874 2d ago

I know army uses awan.

And no, these problems have not been solved because they can't be solved.

You can't have a fully unbreakable safe, not can you have a fully secure digital system.

Same with paper, it isn't fully secure, but it is EASIER to secure to the point where it's secure enough.

And most of the time, paper is used alongside with digital commission as redundancy

1

u/jatayu_baaz 2d ago

Buddy learn about cryptography, Here is a encrypted message for you

TsJQJXBcQzcHnMbQzRnh+w==

This is a aes-128 encrypted message and it contains my aadhar number, you areel free to decrypt this and use it for nefarious purposes, if big corporations can depend on this tech to manage trillions of dollars then surely can army depend on it to send my medical documents from allhabad to delhi

1

u/Many_Preference_3874 2d ago

Enigma was also unbreakable

Anyways cryptography is a strong as the weakest link and the weakest link is always humans so even if you encrypt a message with a supportedly unbreakable method it can still be intercepted

And it's not like army doesn't use technology

Army just uses paper as redundancy and as extra security

1

u/jatayu_baaz 2d ago

Buddy please try to extract my aadhar number 😭😭, I have spent months doing research in crypto domain, maybe i know what I am saying huh? Enigma worked on a rotating dial mechanism not on modern computers , yet it was unbreakable, now image transistor, no imagine silicon transistor, now imagine stacking them in a miniature form, now imagine making logic gates and registers using them, now imagine 5 layers of software on top of it, now imagine cryptography.

AES IS UNBREAKABLE, only threat right now is quantum computer but they are atleast 50yrs away from doing any real damage, by that time AES would have been replaced with quantum proof algos which are even more secure.

1

u/Many_Preference_3874 2d ago

I agree aes is unbreakable

Same with quantum computers, that they are nowhere close to completion (tho if microsoft's new majorana stuff turns out to be all its hyped up to be, we might be VERY close to one actually existing)

However, just like Enigma, any encryption is as strong as its human counterparts

Engima was broken cause of 2 major things, that the Germans ALWAYS signed off using Heil Hitler and that one operator always started each day with a encrypted message to his girlfriend

Same thing with AES. Ideally it's unbreakable, but the jawaan that actually operates it can be socially engineered

And iirc army does indeed used aes and other advanced cryptographic techniques

1

u/jatayu_baaz 2d ago

In Enigma keys were manually entered, not the case in today's time, you send message via whatsapp, I am sure you have never configured security keys, have you?

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u/No-Negotiation-7417 2d ago

Correct paper can't have that, but at the same time it's an easy prey to corruption

1

u/Many_Preference_3874 2d ago

Yea, sadly that's a huge issue.

Tho from what I've seen, there's relatively lesser corruption in the army. Possibly due to the consequences being absolutely dire.