India has concluded a significant national-level cybersecurity training program aimed at equipping professionals with real-time capabilities to handle complex digital threats. The Certified Cyber Crisis Management Professional (CCMP) course, jointly launched by the Future Crime Research Foundation (FCRF Academy) and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), concluded its inaugural edition on Sunday, July 28.
Designed as a strategic capacity-building initiative, the month-long program brought together over 500 participants from key sectors—government, banking, defence, energy, telecom, and IT—offering them intensive, scenario-driven training in cyber crisis planning, detection, response, leadership, and recovery.
“This initiative is a landmark in India’s cyber resilience framework. It’s not just a certification—it’s a national movement to institutionalize crisis-ready leadership,” said a senior CERT-In official during the final session.
Four-Week Program with Global Experts and Live Crisis Simulations
The course was conducted every weekend from July 5 to July 28, 2025, through live online sessions, featuring a comprehensive 16-module curriculum that covered:
- Cyber crisis governance and incident response playbooks
- Attack surface analysis across IT, OT, and Cloud
- Legal and regulatory compliance under CERT-In, RBI, SEBI, and IRDAI mandates
- Ransomware, data breach, and insider threat simulations
- Post-incident forensics and public relations management
The program was powered by the LMS platform of Oakwood Risk Training and featured interactive tools, assignments, and crisis exercises led by globally acclaimed faculty.
Distinguished Speakers Included:
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- Dr. Gulshan Rai – Former National Cybersecurity Coordinator
- AVM Dr. Devesh Vatsa, VSM – Advisor, Cybersecurity & Critical Technologies, DSCI-NASSCOM
- Prof. Triveni Singh (Ex-IPS), Chief Mentor – FCRF
- Christian Lees – Chief Technology Officer, Resecurity (USA)
- Steve Jackson – Senior Vice-President of Growth, Binalyze (UK)
- Sh. Subodh V. Akulwar – Director and Scientist ‘F’, CERT-In
- Ashutosh Bahuguna – Scientist ‘E’, CERT-In
- Omveer Singh – Former Director and Scientist ‘F’, CERT-In
- Prof. (Dr.) Charru Malhotra – Professor, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA)
- Ram Kumar G – Cybersecurity and Risk Leader, Global Automotive Company
- Aditya P S – Founder and CEO, Terraeagle
- Prashant Mehta – Head of Cyber Resilience and ESG, Mitkat Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd.
- Lt. Cdr. Mandeep Kumar (Retd.) – CEO and Founder, Chaos Engineering Pvt. Ltd.
- Navaneethan M – Chairman and CEO, Cywayz
- Smith Gonsalves – Cybersecurity Expert
- Sanskriti Grover – Deputy Manager, Cybersecurity, Mahindra Defence Systems Limited
“Cyber threats are no longer just IT problems. They’re boardroom issues that demand trained, certified, and confident leadership,” noted Prashant Mehta in his masterclass.
Responding to a National Imperative
India’s regulators have ramped up cyber crisis mandates over the past two years. The CERT-In April 2022 guidelines, RBI’s cyber drill mandates, and SEBI’s push for incident simulation exercises have made cyber crisis readiness a statutory responsibility.
Recognizing this, the CCMP course was aligned with both national regulations and global best practices from frameworks like NIST, ENISA, and ISO 22301. Each participant was trained to build, implement, and test a Cyber Crisis Management Plan (CCMP) for their organization, ensuring compliance and operational resilience.
National Recognition and Participant Impact
Participants ranged from CISOs, SOC engineers, law enforcement officials, to forensic analysts and digital risk officers, each bringing real-world perspectives and learning in a collaborative environment.
“This training was transformative,” said one participant from a PSU bank. “It bridged the gap between theoretical planning and practical crisis leadership.”
The program has been widely acknowledged on professional platforms like LinkedIn, where cybersecurity professionals and senior leadership teams shared their endorsements, case studies, and post-training action plans.
FCRF-CERT-In Collaboration: Scaling for the Future
The CCMP course is the first in a series of advanced national cybersecurity training programs by FCRF and CERT-In. Plans are underway to launch regional language versions, advanced sectoral modules, and hands-on cyber range labs for deeper technical immersion.
“We are proud to co-lead this initiative with CERT-In,” said Triveni Singh, IPS, and Patron at FCRF. “It’s the kind of future-ready effort that aligns with India’s vision of becoming a cyber-secure nation.”
The course marks a critical step toward mainstreaming cyber crisis awareness and nurturing a national cadre of trained responders, as India continues its rapid digital growth and increased exposure to sophisticated cyberattacks.
Conclusion: Institutionalizing Cyber Crisis Leadership
As India aspires to become a $1 trillion digital economy, cyber disruptions are no longer hypothetical—they’re imminent. Programs like CCMP demonstrate how regulatory bodies, think tanks, and the private sector can work together to institutionalize resilience, not just awareness.
The 500+ professionals trained in this cohort are now part of a growing network of Certified Cyber Crisis Leaders—a national human firewall capable of not only detecting but also leading recovery from catastrophic cyber events.
What’s Next: CDPO Course Registration Opens August 5
FCRF Academy has announced that it will return with another flagship programme—Certified Data Protection Officer (CDPO)—from August 5, 2025. The CDPO course is designed for those managing data governance, privacy laws, and regulatory compliance in digital ecosystems.
Bulk enrolment inquiries or early interest in the CDPO course can be directed to research@futurecrime.org or WhatsApp at +91 9807910000.
With the enforcement of India’s landmark Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act), the role of a Certified Data Protection Officer (CDPO) has become a legal and strategic necessity for organizations handling personal data. The Act mandates that Significant Data Fiduciaries appoint a dedicated DPO based in India to oversee data governance, compliance reporting, grievance redressal, and engagement with the Data Protection Board. The stakes are high—with non-compliance penalties reaching up to ₹250 crore—and the need for trained professionals is urgent.
With the growing scale and sophistication of cyber threats, programs like CCMP signal a significant step toward institutional cyber maturity. As India strengthens its digital backbone, capacity-building initiatives like this continue to lay the foundation for a more secure and resilient future.