IIT-Kanpur to start three postgraduate programmes in cyber-security

The Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K) is the first to introduce three new master's programmes in cyber-security in addition to a dedicated centre on the subject.

These programs are designed to address the need by ensuring the training of dedicated and highly skilled manpower furthering and accelerating the nations march towards a Digital India.

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), IIT-K will offer the three courses, M Tech, MS by Research, and BT-MT Dual Degree in Cyber-security from August 2021.

The programs would start with a limited number of seats with plans to gradually scale up in size and scope.

The initiative for launching the three courses in cyber-security was taken by Prof. Manindra Agrawal and Prof. Sandeep K. Shukla from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Admissions for the courses will commence during the April-May 2021 cycle.

Prof. Abhay Krandikar, Director IIT Kanpur, said, "In the world of Digital Nomads (especially after Covid-19) and Gig Economy, there has been a significant shift to the cloud as almost everyone who is involved in a productive activity has had to go online and use digital devices. This shift means there are millions of new netizens and organizations that are potentially vulnerable to sophisticated cybercrime. We have timed these Masters programs to ensure that we start producing cyber warriors of the future who can defend not only national boundaries but also make a mark internationally."

The MTech program in cybersecurity will equip students with skills necessary to be successful in roles such as VAPT (Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing) engineers, Security centre analysts, CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) engineers, Cybersecurity tool developers and other roles that involve protecting systems against the threat of attacks by malicious actors.

The MS by Research program is designed to train cyber-security researchers, Technology developers, cyber-security strategists, and top-level cybersecurity policy designers. An option for BT-MT dual degree students is proposed that will enable them to specialize in cyber-security.

The initial intake to the M.Tech program in cybersecurity will be limited to 15 students through GATE/industry sponsorship and 10 students from Defence and other strategic government bodies to address the need in beefing up the cyber-security and cyber-defence workforce in the government.

The MS by Research in the cybersecurity program will accept 10 students through GATE and industry sponsorship and five students from the Defence and other government agencies.

The BT-MT dual program is only open to the IIT-Kanpur Computer Science and Engineering B.Tech students who want to opt for a B.Tech-M.Tech dual degree by completing additional credits to earn a master's degree.