India replaces Windows with indigenous operating system Maya for cybersecurity reasons

According to The Hindu, India will be abandoning Microsoft in favor of a new operating system and endpoint detection and protection system.

The much-anticipated "Maya operating system" will soon be used in the digital domain of Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD), while the new endpoint detection and protection system "Chakravyuh" will also be launched together.

However, the Indian Ministry of Defense is yet to confirm the matter or issue an official release.

Maya operating system and Indian Ministry of Defense

As Microsoft products are often vulnerable, a country of 1.486 billion people cannot afford to ignore the impact of these vulnerabilities.

While most of the defense computers are not networked, there are still a significant number of computers that are interconnected and therefore vulnerable to cyber threats.

State-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat Organizations are known to target these systems with the aim of extracting sensitive information or establishing unauthorized access to networks for cyber espionage.

In response to these evolving cyber challenges, the Ministry of Defense is reportedly considering replacing the Microsoft operating system with the homegrown “Maya" operating system on all Internet-connected computers.

Maya is a Linux-based distribution that takes its cues from the popular Ubuntu operating system.

The transition is expected to be seamless because, like other GUI (graphical user interface) operating systems, Maya will offer a user interface and functionality similar to Windows.

The Maya operating system will reportedly be implemented in the South Zone before India's Independence Day, which falls on August 15th.

India aims to improve security with Maya operating system

The Indian Army, Navy and Air Force have critically evaluated the new operating system and the Navy has already approved it.

Meanwhile, the Army and Air Force are in the process of conducting a comprehensive evaluation. Once these evaluations are complete, all three services are ready to integrate the Maya operating system into their service networks, Gizbot reported.

The transition to the Maya operating system has been accompanied by the introduction of "Chakravyuh", an advanced endpoint malware detection and protection system. This two-pronged approach is expected to curb the increase in cyber attacks against the nation's digital security.

The DoD's decision to adopt these advanced technologies is based on the recognition of escalating cyber threats.

Despite the popularity and user-friendly interface of the Microsoft Windows operating system, a number of vulnerabilities and exploits, and the fact that threat actors are constantly targeting Windows machines, have forced India to develop a new approach with the help of Maya operating system and Chakravyuh endpoint security.

The Indian Ministry of Defense is gearing up for a major technological change that could potentially say goodbye to Microsoft Windows and usher in the era of Maya operating system.

Along with the deployment of the advanced Chakravyuh protection system, the move marks a bold step for India in defending the country's digital sovereignty.