The National e-Governance Division (NeGD) recently commenced the 36th CISO Deep-Dive training programme as part of its capacity-building scheme. The training is held at the Indian Institute of Public Administration in New Delhi. It welcomed 24 participants from Central Line Ministries as well as states and union territories (UTs). The aim of the training was to provide in-depth knowledge and skills to Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) in the field of e-governance and cybersecurity.
The training programme aims to educate and enable CISOs to understand cyber-attacks thoroughly and get exposure to the latest technologies to safeguard their organisations and translate the benefits of a resilient e-infrastructure to individual organisations and citizens at large. The programme also provides a holistic view of legal provisions, enabling CISOs to formulate policies in the domain of cybersecurity and build concrete cyber crisis management plans.
The five-day intensive training programme is specifically tailored for designated Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) from central and state/UT governments. It also includes participants from subordinate agencies, public sector undertakings (PSUs), such as banks and insurance companies, as well as technical wings of police and security forces. Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) and members of technical/project management unit (PMU) teams are also invited. Additionally, officers responsible for ensuring the security of IT systems in their respective organisations are also encouraged to participate in the training.
The programme was inaugurated by the Deputy Director General of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), R. S. Mani, and senior government officers. The event aims to bring together a diverse range of subject matter experts from industry, academia, and government. These experts will deliver sessions on various crucial aspects of cybersecurity, including governance risk and compliance, cyber security products in India, endpoint & digital workplace security, network security, application and data security, CCMP & incident response, mobile security, cryptography, cyber security testing and audit, the cyber security provisions of the IT Act, ISMS Standards (including ISO 27001), security logging, and the operation & monitoring of security operation centres.
Cyber Surakshit Bharat is an initiative launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) with the objective of raising awareness about cybercrime and enhancing the capabilities of CISOs and frontline IT officials across various government departments. The initiative aims to ensure that appropriate safety measures are in place to combat the increasing threat of cyber-attacks. It emphasises the importance of organisations defending their digital infrastructures and being prepared for future challenges in the realm of cybersecurity.
The CISO training programme is a unique collaboration between the government and an industry consortium under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. It has been highly successful in providing specialised training to CISOs and frontline IT officials. Since its inception in June 2018 until May 2023, the NeGD has successfully organised 36 batches of the CISO Deep-Dive training programme, benefiting more than 1,419 CISOs and frontline IT officials.
The government has been hosting events and launching programmes to boost cybersecurity awareness. Earlier this year, MeitY inaugurated the G20 Cyber Security Exercise and Drill for over 400 domestic and international participants as part of India’s G20 presidency. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) held the Cyber Security Exercise and Drill in a hybrid format. International participants from over 12 countries participated online. Domestic participants from various sectors like finance, education, telecom, ports and shipping, energy, IT/ITeS, and others attended both in person and virtually. As OpenGov Asia reported, the event held a strategic tabletop exercise (TTX) and an operational drill using a CERT-In exercise platform.