India Bolsters Cyber Defense with New Commandos

New Delhi- In response to over 100 hoax bomb threats targeting Indian airlines in the past week, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an advisory on Tuesday, urging all states to establish a "Special Wing of Cyber Commandos" to counter cyber threats. This directive aims to bolster India's cyber defense capabilities and mitigate the impact of such incidents, which have caused significant disruption and financial losses.

The majority of these threats were traced back to social media accounts created through virtual private networks (VPNs) or dark web browsers, making them difficult to track by investigative agencies. This prompted the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to emphasize the urgent need for enhanced cyber defense capabilities.

The creation of this dedicated wing was initially recommended by the Prime Minister during the DGPs and IGPs Conference held in January 2023 and 2024. The MHA plans to recruit 5,000 Cyber Commandos over the next five years, integrating them into state police organizations as a national resource.

These Cyber Commandos will be selected from existing personnel in state and central police organizations who demonstrate a strong foundation in computer networks and operating systems. They will receive specialized training in digital forensics, incident response, and securing information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure.

The MHA emphasized that Cyber Commandos will be solely dedicated to cybersecurity roles and will not be diverted to other tasks. They may be called upon by the MHA to respond to or mitigate cyber-attacks and will participate in short-term training programs to enhance their skills continuously.

The first batch of 246 Cyber Commandos is undergoing rigorous six-month training at premier institutions, including IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, and NFSU in Gandhinagar. This training includes practical exercises, industry exposure, and field visits to equip them for cybersecurity emergencies.

These candidates were selected through a screening test held on February 24, 2024, at 32 centers nationwide. I4C plans to conduct a second screening test on December 8, 2024, to recruit the next Cyber Commando batch. Detailed guidelines and the syllabus for the training program will be released shortly.