IIT Madras Pravartak Completes Training Of First Batch Of Cyber Commandos

Chennai: Amid the growing threat of cyber crime, IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation on Tuesday completed training the first batch of Cyber Commandos, a specialised initiative aimed at equipping law enforcement officers across India with advanced cyber security techniques. What comes as a promise is that the training will enable these law enforcement officers to effectively tackle evolving threats in the digital landscape.

The formal valedictory for the 37 law enforcement officers trained by Pravartak was held at the IIT Madras campus on Tuesday (1st April) in presence of Dr Sandeep Mittal, IPS, ADGP (Cyber Crime Wing), Tamil Nadu; Dr Shankar Ram, CEO and Balamurali Shankar, Chief Knowledge Officer, Pravartak, Prof Mangala Sunder, Head, Digital Skills Academy, and other eminent dignitaries.

An initiative of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Cyber Commandos' programme is a critical step in bolstering India’s cyber defence capabilities. This specialised force will be at the forefront of defending the Nation against cyberattacks, safeguarding sensitive data and maintaining digital sovereignty.

The Cyber Commandos will represent a significant upgrade from existing cybercrime cells. While these cells primarily focus on reactive measures like investigation and prosecution of cybercrimes, the commandos will be a proactive force.

Addressing the valedictory, ADGP Sandeep Mittal said, "One small action in cyber space can led to disproportionate effect in the physical world...In the last one year, the amount that India saved by importing oil from Russia was lost due to cybercrimes in India in the last four years. The situation is very serious."

The senior IPS officer further said, "Cyber Space is already being recognised as the Fifth Domain of War, alongside land, air, water and space. This is the right time that we, in India as a policymaker, recognise this as a war and take action as deemed fit to protect the National economic interests of its citizens."

Congratulating the cyber commandos, he said, "You commandos are better skilled to investigate cyber threats and assist in investigations. I congratulate all of you on the successful completion of the course and urge all of you to work for the nation."

In his message, IIT Madras director Prof V Kamakoti said, "I congratulate the cyber commandos. Through this program, we have enabled them with essential concepts and hands-on exercises. This will be a continuous learning exercise. Commandos will now work in ever-changing technologies and threat landscape through the foundation we have laid."

The Commandos began their training with the basics of computers, ensuring that they had a solid foundation before progressing to advanced topics such as network security, digital forensics, ethical hacking, and cyber threat intelligence.

Highlighting the need for such training programs, IPS Roopa M, Director, TAU (Threat Analytics Unit), I4C, said, "Cyber threats are a major challenge that all countries are facing. It is a global problem. Cyber attacks have become increasingly organised, sophisticated and dangerous. We need an agile team to handle such threats and you (cyber commandos) form those agile team. The I4C is coming up with a comprehensive digital platform in which we will be identifying digital domains and you can chose which of them to specialise on."

She added to commandos, "We want to engage you through these digital platforms, through which we will give you tasks. Other Law Enforcement Agencies will also be aware of your profiles. We are also planning refresher courses to provide continuous learning opportunities for the cyber commandos. I4C will request State DGPs to post you in areas where your relevant skills will be well utilized. The important aspect of you being trained here is not only to gain technical skills but also cultivate a strategic mind to analyse and respond to situations."

The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) was established by Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, to provide a framework and eco-system for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) for dealing with Cybercrime in a coordinated and comprehensive manner.

Further, Dr MJ Shankar Ram, CEO, IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation, said, "Education is a continuous process. I appreciate all of you (Law Enforcement Officials) for taking this training program. This course also provided opportunity to the candidates to take external professional certification as well. India is going to face a huge amount of challenges, especially in cyberwarfare and technology. I would request that other than handling cases, you all should also learn 'Offensive Defence' techniques."

"This program has been a success...From the next batch, we will try to bring people from Intelligence agencies to take a few sessions as practical lessons are vital," he added.

Presenting the summary of the training programme, Balamurali Shankar, Chief Knowledge Officer, Pravartak, said, "This is a first-of-its-kind programme, which was a six-month residential training program for senior law enforcement officers. The threats keep changing every day but we have enabled everyone to become self-sufficient and take it forward."

REAL WORLD CYBER THREATS

From financial fraud and data breaches to critical infrastructure attacks, the digital landscape poses significant risks. The Cyber Commandos programme is essential to ensure India is adequately prepared to counter these threats and protect its citizens and economy in the digital age, asserted IIT-M.

One of the critical aspects of the training was hands-on experience in dealing with real-world cyber threats. The curriculum covered sophisticated attack vectors, including ransomware and malware, teaching officers how to identify, analyse, and mitigate such threats effectively. Practical exercises such as Cyber Security Red-Blue Team live fire exercises provided them with a simulated environment to test their skills and apply their learning in real-time scenarios.

Apart from this, the programme emphasised legal and policy frameworks surrounding cybercrime, ensuring that trainees understood how to enforce cyber laws effectively while maintaining ethical standards in digital investigations including forensics.

The residential nature of the program gave trainees the opportunity to collaborate, exchange ideas and work closely with experts in the field. This fostered a strong sense of camaraderie and teamwork, which is essential in tackling cybercrimes that often require coordinated efforts across multiple jurisdictions.

The successful completion of this first batch marks a significant milestone in the institution's commitment to strengthening the cyber security capabilities of Indian law enforcement agencies.

IIT-M Pravartak Technologies is a Section 8 Company housing the Technology Innovation Hub on Sensors, Networking, Actuators and Control Systems. It is funded by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, under its National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems and hosted by IIT Madras.