Why We Need Cybersecurity Education Now More Than Ever
Cyberattacks are no longer rare—they’re relentless, AI-driven, and growing by the minute. In India alone, over 700 threats surface every sixty seconds, even as the country rapidly digitises everything from banking to public services. Yet, the talent gap in cybersecurity continues to widen. This article explores why cybersecurity education is now a national priority—and how a hands-on, action-oriented course led by Prof. Kameswari Chebrolu at IIT Bombay is equipping the participants to meet this challenge head-on.
Every day, millions of digital transactions and decisions occur silently in the background of our interconnected lives. But beneath this seamless convenience lies an intensifying battle. Cyber threats are no longer rare or peripheral—they are constant, adaptive, and increasingly sophisticated. From targeting government networks and healthcare systems to exploiting everyday applications and financial platforms, attackers are exploiting the very fabric of our digital infrastructure.
Advances in artificial intelligence have made this challenge even more complex. AI is not only helping organisations defend better—it’s also enabling adversaries to automate phishing scams, impersonate individuals with startling accuracy, and identify vulnerabilities at a scale never seen before.
A recent study by SoSafe, Europe’s largest security awareness and human risk management solution organisation revealed that 87% of cybersecurity professionals have encountered an AI-driven attack within the last year. This trend is occurring at a time when organisations are already facing a massive shortage of cyber talent.
Meanwhile, the demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals far outpaces supply, leaving companies, public systems, and critical infrastructure dangerously exposed. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025, the cyber skills gap has widened by 8% since 2024, with two-thirds of organisations reporting they lack essential security expertise, and only a meagre 14% feeling confident in their current workforce’s capabilities.
For India, this challenge is especially urgent. As the country races ahead with digital public infrastructure, smart cities, and an expanding online economy, it faces an urgent need to cultivate homegrown expertise in cybersecurity. The question is no longer whether cyber education is necessary—but how quickly we can scale it.
With over 369 million security incidents detected across just 8.44 million endpoints, India is witnessing a staggering 702 potential threats every single minute, as reported by the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) in their annual findings for 2025. Meanwhile, projections suggest that India will face a shortfall of 1.5 million cybersecurity professionals—a gap that will only grow as the country’s digital infrastructure continues to expand into every sector of life.
With IoT devices in homes, offices, and even public infrastructure, the security perimeter has vanished. Vulnerabilities now exist in everything from refrigerators to traffic lights, making cybersecurity everyone’s problem. And as India races ahead with digital public infrastructure like UPI and DigiLocker, the attack surface increases—especially with vast rural digitisation drives that bring new users online.
In this context, capacity-building in cybersecurity is not just a professional opportunity—it’s a national imperative.
About the Course
There’s a global push to integrate security early in the software development lifecycle. Securing web applications is not just the responsibility of a security team—it’s a fundamental skill for anyone involved in the creation, maintenance, or scaling of digital systems. Which means technical education must evolve accordingly — and this course offers just that.
Participants need to have foundational knowledge in a few key areas — familiarity with the Unix command line and working knowledge of languages and tools such as Python, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and SQL will help hit the ground running. While prior exposure to cryptography is not mandatory, it is highly recommended to better appreciate some of the course’s more advanced topics.
This isn’t a lecture-heavy, theory-first course. The emphasis is on action. With a strong focus on hands-on labs—offering twice the lab hours compared to theory—participants engage directly with simulated attack scenarios and defensive strategies. From understanding how the web functions at a fundamental level to dissecting real-world vulnerabilities such as XSS, CSRF, and SQL injection, the course walks participants through a comprehensive web security curriculum rooted in practical application. You emerge not just with knowledge, but with the confidence and experience to apply it in when needed at the workplace.
There’s a global push to integrate security early in the software development lifecycle.
Securing web applications is not just the responsibility of a security team—it’s a fundamental skill for anyone involved in the creation, maintenance, or scaling of digital systems. Which means technical education must evolve accordingly — and this course offers just that.
Participants need to have foundational knowledge in a few key areas — familiarity with the Unix command line and working knowledge of languages and tools such as Python, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and SQL will help hit the ground running.
While prior exposure to cryptography is not mandatory, it is highly recommended to better appreciate some of the course’s more advanced topics.
This isn’t a lecture-heavy, theory-first course. The emphasis is on action. With a strong focus on hands-on labs—offering twice the lab hours compared to theory—participants engage directly with simulated attack scenarios and defensive strategies.
From understanding how the web functions at a fundamental level to dissecting real-world vulnerabilities such as XSS, CSRF, and SQL injection, the course walks participants through a comprehensive web security curriculum rooted in practical application.
You emerge not just with knowledge, but with the confidence and experience to apply it in when needed at the workplace.
About the Instructor
This course is led by Prof. Kameswari Chebrolu, a distinguished faculty member in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Bombay. Known for her commitment to developing technology for real-world challenges with high social impact, Prof. Chebrolu brings both depth and accessibility to her teaching.
She has been at the forefront of teacher training in computer science, having conducted numerous workshops that have reached over 10,000 educators across India. Her excellence in pedagogy has earned her multiple accolades, including the coveted IIT Bombay Excellence in Teaching Awards at both the departmental and institute levels. Currently, she holds the Prof. D.M. Dhamdhere Chair for Excellence in Teaching Methods—recognition of her continued innovation and leadership in education.
Towards a Safer Digital Future
As cyber threats grow more widespread, the need for skilled professionals who can secure the digital foundations has never been more urgent. Beyond data loss, breaches now incur massive regulatory fines and damage to reputation. For businesses, a strong security posture is no longer optional—it’s a matter of survival.
This course is an invitation to become part of the national effort to build a safer, more resilient internet. India’s digital future will be shaped by the talent we train today, and this initiative is a small but important step towards securing it.
