Crime in the world of computers is the latest and at the moment, a difficult nut to crack. There is no business without e-Business or e-Commerce. Whether it is Industry, Government bodies, Banks, Service sectors, etc. it is computers and Information Technology that are at play and thus hacking has become a very real and major threat. In our everyday lives, we cannot function without the use of this technology. Cyber-crimes cause more harm to society that traditional crimes. Entire institutions infrastructure operations can be hacked, thus affecting a whole society. Thus whether it is hacking, spamming, cyber theft, cyber fraud, cyber terrorism, all these different types of hacking should e treated as more grievous than a traditional crime.

Computer hacking is said to happen when someone modifies computer hardware or software in a way that alters the creator’s original intent. People who hack computers are known as hackers. They usually have expert level skills in a given area. While most hackers do not wish to harm others, there are some who misuse the skills for pecuniary gain, to gather user credentials, espionage both industry and countries, revenge attacks and even misplaced fame. By installing Trojans – software that resides on the computer, controlled by the hacker – a hacker can record all key strokes, including login credentials.

Cyber-attacks are becoming global in nature and in addition to data thefts, strategic and sensitive information can also be gathered by countries. Malware like Stuxnet, Duqu, Flame etc., have also become so sophisticated that it is not possible to tackle them using the regular cyber security products.

Cyber-attacks can be sudden, or in some cases be so covert, that they can remain hidden for days and even months. Cyber space in India is also fast changing and with more and more activity moving to the net, we need to be able to match our skills accordingly.

One way to tackle these emerging threats is to train and develop a dedicated work force that can detect and prevent attacks at different levels. National Cyber Safety and Security Standards multi-disciplinary team employs the best and brightest to thwart Cyber Attacks. NCSSS is focused on building science and engineering foundations for Cyber Security. Research and development is focused on making today's systems more secure while planning for tomorrow's technology. The National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP) creates a pipeline of qualified candidates in Cyber Security and protection to address homeland security needs. It gives students practical experience in computer systems, network operations, and information protection.

Cyber Security Awareness

Education is one sector at exceptionally high risk of devastating attacks. Schools, Colleges and Universities report astounding rates of cyber attacks, with millions of hacking attempts into information systems. While social security and bank account numbers are always at risk, higher education institutions are also vulnerable to losing valuable intellectual property such as patents awarded to faculty and students, as well as personal information of students, faculty/staff. Because of the frequency of cyber attacks on institutions of higher learning, the need for increased cyber awareness has never been greater.

Students, Faculty & everyone in the higher education industry need to know about the real- life problems of identity theft and cyber attacks that can devastate a Institution's infrastructure and its personnel's livelihood.

In order to provide adequate personnel and resources to combat and stop these threats, higher education institutions need to see the bigger picture of intense cyber security threats that can do more damage than a hacker stealing someone's email login. There is a reason National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP) was instituted, and why digital professionals seek to bring higher education professionals into higher-level security discussions. It is not enough just to entertain the idea of advanced cyber security in higher education, but action must be taken, as the future of many institutions across the country depends on it.

Training

National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP) will thus aim to impart a strong awareness amongst the members on cyber security and its importance. Induction will be provided by a team of well experienced and professional trainers to Faculty of Resource Centre on frequent intervals. The trained faculty can organize or conduct awareness programs/seminars/conferences/events at wherever possible to create skilled work force in Cyber Security domain.

Research & Development

Cyber security plays a major role in today’s cyberspace, from information security to network security and data security. From the social point of view cyber safety has different interpretations reflecting different concerns. For public, is the safety and protection of their freedoms, rights and guarantees, in particular their individual privacy, from one perspective, the concepts of privacy, confidentiality, and security are quite distinct and possess different attributes. Privacy is a property of individuals; confidentiality is a property of data; and security is a property assigned to computer hardware and software systems. From a practical perspective, the concepts are interwoven. A system that does not maintain data confidentiality or individual privacy could be theoretically or even mathematically "secure," but it probably wouldn't be wise to deploy anywhere in the real world. For companies and industries, is ensuring the availability of critical business activities and the protection of confidentiality and integrity of data.