Cybersecurity Awareness Session Empowers Students and Educators

A relevant and strategically timed webinar titled "Cyber Security in the Digital Age: Navigating Threats and Building Resilient Practices" brought together academic leaders, cybersecurity professionals, and over 100 students on 26 May 2025, marking a significant step towards building digital resilience among India's youth. Organised collaboratively by the Commonwealth of Learning’s regional centre, the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA), Reliance Foundation, and Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Mumbai, Maharashtra, the event featured insights from top cybersecurity experts.

Setting the context, Dr B. Shadrach, Director of COL-CEMCA, emphasised the importance of the cybersecurity session, highlighting its relevance to students, teachers, and professionals. Dr Shadrach described AI as a double-edged sword—both a tool for cybercriminals and a defence mechanism. He urged the academic community to develop risk awareness, assessment, and mitigation skills, advocating preventative measures, ongoing learning, and support systems to enhance digital resilience among people.

The session, moderated by Mr Senthil Kumaran from Reliance Foundation, aimed to bridge the gap between industry needs and academic learning under Reliance Foundation’s “Tech for Social Good” initiative. Dr Suresh Ukarande, Director, K J Somaiya School of Engineering, showcased how emerging technologies such as AI, IoT, and blockchain are being integrated into university curricula through electives and projects, ensuring students gain hands-on experience. He praised the lecture series as a catalyst for industry-academic synergy.

The key speaker, Dr Durga Dube, Executive Vice President and Group Head – Information Risk Management and Cybersecurity at Reliance Industries Ltd., highlighted the growing importance of cybersecurity awareness in everyday life. Tracing the evolution of digital technology, he opined that increased digital connectivity has expanded the attack surface, making robust cybersecurity vital. Dr Dube discussed major threats, including ransomware, phishing, insider attacks, and AI-driven crimes. He emphasised digital hygiene, strong technical foundations, and continuous learning, urging students to pursue careers in cybersecurity to address the industry’s skill gap.

Additional speakers, including Dr Nitin Chauhan and Vikas Singh from Reliance, detailed real-world cyberattack scenarios, shared prevention strategies, and promoted tools such as 1930 Helpline number for reporting online financial frauds, India’s National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) and cyber awareness platforms like Cyber Dost.

The webinar also explored career prospects in cybersecurity, with Dr Dube encouraging students to develop strong technical foundations and a culture of continuous learning. Mr Senthil Kumaran informed that participants can look forward to more sessions in this ongoing series, covering the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP), career counselling, and hands-on activities like quizzes and hackathons. Certificates of participation will be issued to students, based on their performance in the quiz.

This initiative signals a promising collaboration to shape a digitally secure and career-ready generation.