Hyderabad: New centre to fight cyber crimes

HYDERABAD: Union minister of state for home G. Kishan Reddy on Monday dedicated to nation the National Cyber Research and Innovation Centre (NCR&IC) established at the Central Detective Training Institute (CDTI) here.

Speaking on the occasion, he said cyber research is the need of the hour. With proliferation of information technology, life has become easier, which is good. But technology is a double-edged weapon, which can also be misused by criminals for their ulterior motives, he pointed out.

The Cyber Research Centre is one of the seven verticals under Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). Its formation highlights the growing relevance of continuous research and innovation in the country’s fight against cyber crime. The Union minister hoped the centre would help bridge any gap in investigation and cater to the needs of law enforcement agencies across India. He wished the centre well in finding research-based solutions for threats emerging in cyber space and imparting state-of-the-art cyber training to stakeholders.

Kishan Reddy said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has highlighted on several occasions that while cyberspace is a source of great opportunity, cyber security has become a major concern. The government has anticipated the danger of cyber threats and has taken several landmark steps in the recent past. A dedicated division was created in October 2017 under the Ministry of Home Affairs for addressing cyber security threats, he pointed out. The minister said innovation in cyber crime research is highly important. Criminals, who exploit vulnerabilities of smart devices and high-end technology, are clever and crafty. Therefore, the responsibility of this centre is greater. Emerging technologies across the globe need to be understood and research carried out to see if they could be used negatively. This will help develop deterrent measures accordingly, he stated.

In his welcome address, V.S.K. Kaumudi, DG, Bureau of Police Research and Develop-ment (BPRD) said, “The inauguration of this centre is an important landmark for BPRD and specifically for CDTI. Dependence on the internet has left us with that much more vulnerable in every walk of life. It is just the beginning of the process to make the society safe, vigilant and sustainable, which is the underlying concept of United Nations sustainable development goals 2030”. Kaumudi pointed out that CDTI, Hyderabad, has been declared a Centre of Excellence in “Police Information Technology and Cyber Crimes”. He hoped the centre would live up to its high standards, enhance the skills of investigating officers, and find solutions and tools to combat cyber crimes and emerging threats to the country.