Amid rising concerns over cyber warfare, particularly from hostile neighbors, the Indian armed forces have commenced a comprehensive cybersecurity exercise named "Cyber Suraksha." This 12-day drill, organized by the Defence Cyber Agency under the aegis of Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, aims to bolster the nation's cyber resilience and fortify its digital ecosystem against escalating threats.
The exercise is designed as a multi-phased program encompassing targeted training sessions, rigorous evaluations, and leadership development modules. Over 100 participants, including experts from national-level agencies and stakeholders across various defense domains, are actively involved in the program. The core objective is to simulate real-world cyber threats, reinforce secure practices, and rigorously test the analytical and defensive cyber skills of the participants within a high-pressure, gamified environment.
"Cyber Suraksha" goes beyond technical skills, integrating leadership roles through a Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) conclave. This conclave features talks by eminent speakers, culminating in an immersive Table-Top Exercise designed to bridge the gap between technical expertise and strategic leadership in cybersecurity. By combining structured learning with dynamic, hands-on challenges, the exercise empowers participants to make decisive actions when facing cyber threats.
The exercise simulates real-world scenarios, offering a realistic experience of defending IT systems under intense cyberattacks. This allows teams to understand how to react, evaluate their capabilities, and sharpen their defenses. Identifying vulnerabilities in the existing security posture is a crucial benefit, enabling organizations to improve and meet up-to-date security requirements.
The Defence Cyber Agency intends to conduct these exercises regularly to maintain a high level of readiness and cultivate a security-first culture across all levels of the armed forces. This proactive approach acknowledges the increasing sophistication and frequency of cyberattacks targeting military forces, designed to disrupt operations, steal classified information, and undermine national security. These threats are often state-sponsored and utilize advanced techniques such as AI-driven phishing, deepfake impersonations, and potentially, quantum computing risks.
Effective cyber training must mirror the pace and pressure of real-world threats. It requires ongoing, hands-on exercises that test decision-making under stress, expose gaps in knowledge, and adapt to evolving attack methods. Regular phishing simulations, targeted awareness training, and incident response drills ensure that military personnel build not just knowledge, but readiness and resilience. Training must evolve continuously, matching both the sophistication of adversaries and the specific risk profiles within the organization.
Exercises like "Cyber Suraksha" are crucial for military teams to remain agile, threat-ready, and aligned with evolving adversary tactics. They help in assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of cybersecurity teams, identifying strengths and weaknesses in team dynamics, decision-making, and technical proficiency during condensed timeframes. Complex emulations that require coordination and collaboration between multiple cyber defense teams test technological proficiency, inter-team communication, resource allocation, and collective problem-solving skills, all crucial for handling large-scale cybersecurity incidents.
By simulating attacks that mirror the organization's production environment, defenders can handle real-world scenarios effectively. Detailed reports and analytics provide actionable insights and recommendations for improvement across people, process, and technology, ensuring continuous enhancement of the cybersecurity posture.
