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Recently, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) hosted the 36th CISO Deep-Dive training programme under its Capacity Building initiative, with 24 participants drawn from Central Line Ministries and States/UTs. The event took place at the Indian Institute of Public Administration in New Delhi. This programme is part of a series of workshops that are managed under the Cyber Surakshit Bharat initiative.
Understanding the Cyber Surakshit Bharat Initiative
This initiative was formulated with a clear mission: to raise awareness about cyber-crime and build the capacities of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and frontline IT officials across all government departments. Officially launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in 2018, this initiative is powered by a collaboration between NeGD and multiple industry partners in India.
Exploring the CISOs Deep Dive Training Programme
This programme represents a first-of-its-kind partnership between the Government and an industry consortium, structured under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. The programme aims to raise awareness about the emerging landscape of cyber threats, offer an in-depth understanding of related solutions, disseminate applicable frameworks, guidelines & policies relating to cyber security, share best practices, and provide inputs for decision-making on Cyber Security issues.
The programme hosts chief information security officers (CISOs) and frontline IT officials from various ministries and departments, PSUs, and banks, among others. While NeGD provides logistical support, technical support comes from the industry consortium, which includes Microsoft, IBM, Intel, Palo Alto Networks, E&Y, Dell-EMC, NIC, CERT-In, and CDAC.
Other Initiatives Focused on Boosting Cyber Security
At the global level, measures include the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime and the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). Within India, initiatives include the National Cyber Security Strategy 2020, National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC), Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, Computer Emergency Response Team – India (CERT-In), Digital Personal Data Protection Bill 2022, Defence Cyber Agency (DCyA), Digital India Bill, 2023, and the Cyber Swachhta Kendra.
The Cyber Swachhta Kendra was launched in 2017 as a platform for internet users to clean their computers and devices by removing viruses and malware.
UPSC Civil Services Exam: Previous Year’s Question
In 2018, the UPSC Civil Services Prelims exam included a question about terms such as ‘WannaCry, Petya and EternalBlue’. The correct answer was (c) Cyber-attacks. These terms refer to types of ransomware, a malicious software that threatens to harm the user. After taking over a computer, it denies access to data and demands a ransom from the victim, promising to restore access once payment is received. Payment is typically demanded through bitcoin, a type of cryptocurrency. This highlights the growing importance of cyber security knowledge in today’s digital world.
Last Modified: February 20, 2024