Newspatrolling.com News cum Content Syndication Portal Online
New Delhi, 30th October 2025: As per the India Cyber Threat Report 2025 published by DSCI, the number of cybercrime cases reported on national platforms including the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) and the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Management System (CFCFRMS) rose to 22.68 lakh in 2024, compared to 15,96 lakh cases in 2023 and 10.29 lakh case in 2022.[1] The healthcare sector was the most targeted, accounting for 21.8% of all cyberattacks in India, given the high value of medical data, followed by the hospitality (19.6%) and the banking (17.4%) industries, indicating a focus on businesses handling personal and financial data.[2] The groups most frequently impacted included senior citizens, students, and small business owners, who suffered losses of savings or data to phishing, impersonation, and online frauds. With India’s internet-connected population surpassing 1 billion as of June 2025, the report emphasizes the urgent need for increased cyber awareness and resilience among citizens.[3]
It was this need that led NIIT Foundation, in partnership with Cisco, to launch the Cyber Suraksha initiative in 2022. Since its inception, the program has trained over 10 lakh learners across 27 states and 5 union territories, with nearly 40% of participants being females. This initiative has enabled over 7,000 youth to embark on careers in cybersecurity. The program has also reached vulnerable groups such as senior citizens, persons with disabilities, frontline workers, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, helping them navigate digital spaces more securely.
Building on this foundation, NIIT Foundation and Cisco have partnered to introduce Cyber Suraksha Plus, a new phase that expands from cyber awareness to offer structured career pathways in system protection, ransomware defense, AI-driven security, and cloud protection. Designed to be multilingual and inclusive, the initiative aims to train 27 lakh learners by 2028, helping to bridge the talent gap in India’s cybersecurity ecosystem.
Harish Krishnan, Managing Director and Chief Policy Officer, Cisco Systems, India & ASEAN, said: “Cybersecurity is the cornerstone of digital trust, and safeguarding it is shared global responsibility. As nations across the Global South increasingly digitize, collaborative capacity-building initiatives like Cyber Suraksha Plus will be key. They’ll help build the skills and capacity needed to meet the ambitions outlined in global forums such as the G20 Digital Economy Working Group and the upcoming AI Impact Summit 2026. Through this partnership, we aim to empower India’s young workforce with globally relevant skills and contribute to a safer, more resilient digital future.”
Sapna Moudgil, CEO, NIIT Foundation, added: “Our effort through Cyber Suraksha Plus is to make digital safety a social equalizer. While the program builds employability among youth, it also addresses those who are often left behind in the digital transformation: senior citizens, women, rural youth, and low-literacy groups. For many, especially older adults who are most vulnerable to online scams, these courses can become a turning point, restoring confidence and agency in the digital world. Our mission remains to ensure that the benefits of cybersecurity awareness reach every community that needs it most.”
With Cyber Suraksha Plus, NIIT Foundation and Cisco reaffirm their joint commitment to advancing digital inclusion, expanding India’s cybersecurity workforce, and enabling the vision of a Viksit evam Cyber Surakshit Bharat.
