IIT Madras to train law enforcement officers to become ‘Cyber Commandos’

CHENNAI: IIT Madras' Pravartak Technologies Foundation has launched a new 'Cyber Commandos' training program to equip law enforcement officers with advanced skills to combat cyber challenges effectively.

An initiative of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the program is for six months and will have a 70% practical component including industry visits. IIT Madras faculty will be handling this program, said Colonel Arvind Kumar, Director, Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C).

The 'Cyber Commandos' training program will focus on providing rigorous training to transform State and Central police personnel into cyber experts, capable of investigating complex digital crimes, tracking cybercriminals, and protecting critical infrastructure, an IIT-M release added.

At an event inaugurating the program at the IIT-M campus here, V Kamakoti, Director of IIT-M said, "Daily, the cyber threat landscape is increasing. We are getting more and more devices into our day-to-day lives as digitization increases.

Data is very important now. Processing of both structured and unstructured data is vital."

Speaking about threats in cyberspace, Dr Sandeep Mittal, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Cyber Crime Wing, Tamil Nadu, said, "The cyber domain is extremely attractive for malicious actors because it is a highly dynamic, faceless and boundaryless domain capable of throwing surprises with rapidity.

It is a very low-cost effort with asymmetric results. The risks are the opportunities and the opportunities are the risks. The discovery of Stuxnet (malicious computer worm) in 2010 heralded an era of weaponization of software code. This was only the beginning as it was followed by many things.

"By 2024, there will be 50 billion Internet-connected devices, such as refrigerators, microwaves, washing machines, and so on. Critical infrastructure, especially operational systems, needs to be well-protected. Cyber Security needs an understanding of International Conventions on cybercrimes as the Cyber Criminals are mostly abroad," he added.