IIT Madras Pravartak completes first cyber commandos training

chennai: iit madras pravartak technologies foundation has successfully trained the first batch of cyber commandos, a specialized force aimed at strengthening india's cyber defense. an initiative of the union ministry of home affairs, the program equips law enforcement officers with advanced cybersecurity skills to counter digital threats effectively.a valedictory function for the 37 trained officers was held at iit madras on tuesday, attended by dr. sandeep mittal, ips, adgp (cyber crime wing), tamil nadu, along with pravartak officials, including ceo dr. m.j. shankar ram and chief knowledge officer balamurali shankar. prof. mangala sunder, head of digital skills academy, was also present.dr. mittal emphasized the urgency of cybersecurity preparedness, noting that "the amount india saved on oil imports from russia in the past year was lost due to cybercrimes over the last four years." he urged policymakers to recognize cyberspace as the "fifth domain of war" alongside land, air, water, and space.ms. roopa m, ips, director of tau (threat analytics unit), i4c, underscored the global threat of cyberattacks and announced plans for a digital platform to support ongoing training and specialization for cyber commandos.the six-month residential program covered network security, digital forensics, ethical hacking, and cyber threat intelligence. hands-on training included live-fire cybersecurity exercises, preparing officers for real-world threats.iitm pravartak technologies, a section 8 company under iit madras, is funded by the department of science and technology to drive innovations in cyber-physical systems.