Karnataka Gets its First Cyber Lab

NASSCOM, in association with the Government of Karnataka and Canara Bank, today inaugurated Karnataka's first state-of-the-art Cyber Lab in Bangalore.

The Cyber Lab will have a full time project manager from the police, two instructors, and part time volunteers from the student community. The training will include familiarization on areas such as Internet, browsing, email, and online transactions among others, and education on what constitutes cyber crime. Once trained, these law enforcement officials will be able to carry out various activities like analysing and scrutinising data on hard disks, email tracking, extracting evidence using Internet and mobile phones, and on cyber crime-related legislation.

The Bangalore Cyber Lab is the third facility of its kind in the country. It is expected to train more than 1,000 law enforcement officials annually on cyber crime investigation techniques, and provide ongoing technical support for investigations as well. Set up and managed on a public-private partnership model, the lab will function as a regional hub, and undertake training and support in Bangalore and other cities in Karnataka, in addition to the neighboring districts of Karnataka.

Speaking at the launch, Nandkumar Saravade, Director of Cyber security and Compliance, NASSCOM, said, "With the increase in use of IT in our day-to-day lives, we see emergence of both new challenges and threats. Various forms of cyber crime are on the rise around the world, and while India continues to be amongst the safest places in respect of a strong security framework, there is a continuous need to be vigilant."

"In addition to strengthening the legal infrastructure; creating an
effective enforcement framework, continuing the ongoing training of
enforcement authorities, and creating awareness on the impending threat of cyber crime is equally vital. It is with this objective that NASSCOM has been working towards further strengthening the security environment in the country, through direct and public private partnership initiatives. The inauguration of India's third Cyber Lab today in Bangalore marks another milestone towards this direction."

Also speaking during the launch, Srinivasan K R, IPS, DG and IGP of Karnataka Police, said, "Karnataka was the first state to set up a Cyber Crime Police Station in 2001 to register and investigate cyber crimes under the jurisdiction of Karnataka state. The Bangalore Cyber lab is the first Cyber Lab in South India, and will provide training to police officers, prosecutors, military police officers, bank officials, and others. It will train state police officers on cyber crime and related issues. Twenty officers will be trained in each batch, and about 1,000 officers will be trained in the current year."

"Bangalore has emerged as an IT hub, and it is critical for law enforcement officials to familiarise themselves with functioning of the IT BPO industry to enforce law and order and check any possible cyber crime incidents. Initiatives like the Cyber lab will go a long way in ensuring confidence of the industry, as well as citizens," Srinivasan said.

Regards,
Kumar Thirumal.