: Sri Venkateswara University is all set to introduce a post-graduate programme in ‘cyber defence,’ which it claims the first in the country to offer such a highly specialised course.
Though cyber security is an established domain, the proposed course is several rungs higher in dealing with aspects pertaining to data security. While cyber warfare is dreaded to become reality, there is a paradigm shift in focus from merely creating secure platforms to thwarting possible causes of threat. The course deals with gathering intelligence and taking pre-emptive and decisive steps to prevent attacks.
It is proposed to be a four-semester programme, where the theory sessions will be followed by a two-month hands-on training session on creating cyber weapons, intelligence gathering by taking up simulated cyber threat situations. Expert faculty, including high profile cops, secret service professionals, military experts involved in international operations, and experts from the banking sector are likely to be roped in from the United States and Israel for handling the course.
“The recent cyber attack on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure throws light on the threats in store to official assets and the need for preparedness at various levels,” explains Kannan Rajagopalan of US-based StraEd, which designed the curriculum. Quoting statistics, he said the number of cyber defence experts in USA and China was around 120,000 members each, while India had a paltry 340, hinting at the nation’s present ‘sitting duck’ status and the huge employment potential in store.
Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Rajagopalan noted that the intake for the integrated programme would be an even mix of Indians and Americans aimed at cross-cultural exposure. At present, no university or college offers this course in India, he confirmed.
Launch by August
SV University Vice-Chancellor Avula Damodaram is eager to launch the course by August.
“It will give an international tag to our varsity. We are currently working out the syllabus, fee structure and the intake system,” Prof. Damodaram said. As the fee is likely to be just a fifth of what is charged in the US, the varsity expects a good response from regular students as well as policemen and professionals employed in the information technology, banking and finance sectors.
