More than 140 officials will be taught the concepts of intrusion detection techniques, pen testing, digital forensics and social media threats.

During the inauguration of the National Cyber Security Incident Response Exercise in New Delhi recently, India’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval highlighted the country’s digital revolution and the government’s efforts to safeguard the national cyberspace.

The aim of the national exercise was to train senior management and technical staff of the government on contemporary cyber threats and handling of cyber incidents.

In his address, Doval said that the digital revolution is taking place in the country, while National Cyber Security Coordinator Lt General Rajesh Pant spoke about the ransomware attack on Oil India Limited and the cyber warfare in the global scenario. In fact, in March 2022, it had been reported that the Twitter handle of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation had been hacked to display a picture of Elon Musk, while several failed attempts to hack the networks of dispatch centers responsible for carrying out real-time operations for grid control and electricity distribution in the country had been contained.

In all, to raise greater awareness in various levels of government, more than 140 officials will be trained for 10 days on various key cybersecurity topics such as Intrusion Detection Techniques; Malware Information Sharing platforms; Penetration Testing; Network Protocols and Digital Forensics. The training platform was provided by an Estonian cybersecurity company with experience in conducting large cyber training events.

In addition, a cybersecurity policy that has been in the works for over two years, is set to establish a multi-stakeholder framework to check propaganda, deception, disinformation, and “adversarial narratives” on social media. This is part of an effort by the National Security Council Secretariat in association with Data Security Council of India as the knowledge partner and supported by the country’s Defence Research and Development Organization.