C-DAC on mission 'cyber security' for all

The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing or C-DAC, the R&D organisation of the Department of Information Technology (DIT), Ministry of Communications and Information Technology for carrying out R&D in IT, electronics and associated areas, is working to create awareness among the general population about cyber security.

It has been holding a series of workshops aimed at raising Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA). The workshops are aimed at students, teachers, home users and government non-IT professionals. “The chief objective of this project is to create information security awareness among the target group,” said N Sarat Chandra Babu, executive director, C-DAC.

Information security is now synonymous with national security. Considering the need and growing importance of information security, Department of IT, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India, has formulated and initiated the ISEA programme. C-DAC Knowledge Park, Bangalore, is participating in the ISEA cause. “We have been conducting workshops in schools and government organisations in the state,” added Babu.

Indians generally do not have any qualms about sharing their passwords or passing on their phone numbers to others, even if they are strangers. But, the cyberspace has been a great leveller. “It has slowly bringing us on a par with the western world where privacy is respected a lot,” said a senior lawyer who specialises in cyber laws.

The C-DAC Knowledge Park Centre in Bangalore initiated the programme in June this year. About 500 officials from C-DAC have so far volunteered to spread the awareness by conducting ISEA workshops at schools and government departments.

The workshop presentations include guidelines on various Internet security aspects as well as awareness on how cyber attacks happen and how one can be protected. This is demonstrated through animated short awareness films. By this year-end, CDAC intends to address as many schools and government departments in Karnataka under this awareness campaign. It has not set itself a target, as it doesn’t want to be constrained by those limitations.