The State government seems to have woken up to the pressing need for upgrading the cyber security infrastructure in Karnataka in the light of the high volume of breaches being recorded in Bengaluru. Now, the government is planning to set up a Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security with the assistance of Israel and the Netherlands.
Bengaluru topped the country in the number of cyber crime cases registered under the Information Technology Act in 2015 with 1,041 cases, according to the National Crime Record Bureau. Numbers provided by the State cyber crime cell also paint a stark picture with 1,226 cases registered in 2016.
Police officers accept that there is an urgent need to train government officials in cyber security measures and the various laws dealing with the topic. “A centre of excellence would be the ideal training ground,” a senior police officer said.
Karnataka and Israel are expected to hold the third round of talks with regard to starting the Karnataka-Israel innovation corridor, which shall promote industries in the sectors of cyber security, tourism and agriculture.
Priyank Kharge, Minister for Information Technology and Bio-technology, told The Hindu that the centre would train government officials and police officers in methods to deal with cyber attacks and hacking attempts. “Initially, our aim will be to increase the skill capacity of government officials, as they are directly involved in e-governance,” said the Minister.
Sources in the IT department also said that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has already been signed with the Netherlands government to promote cyber security training in the State. “We are also in talks with the Israeli government, the Indian Institute of Information Technology and the Indian Institute of Science,” a source in the department said.
Confirming that the Israeli government is in talks with Karnataka, Shai Moses, Consul for Trade and Economic Affairs at the Israeli consulate in Bengaluru said that they are willing to work closely with the State and industrial bodies to develop a centre of excellence.
Israeli companies express interest in Bengaluru
The IT capital of the country is a favoured destination for Israeli companies. “Bengaluru is an innovate hub with a good talent pool. Israel has already discovered the huge potential of the IT industry in the city,” said Yael Hashavit, Consul General, Israeli consulate in Bengaluru.
Rami Efrati, former Head of the Civilian Division of the Israel National Cyber Bureau in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, said that India would become an expert in cyber security in the next five years. “There is lot of collaboration between Israeli and Indian companies in this sphere,” he said.
Ofir Hasan, CEO of Cyber Gym, a cyber defence training firm, said, “We are looking to set up training centres in India, especially Bengaluru.”
