MTU holds cyber security workshop for students

IMPHAL | Oct 29

Manipur Technical University conducted a daylong cyber security awareness workshop for its students on October 28 at Government Polytechnic Auditorium, Imphal.

Held in collaboration with Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Kolkata, the workshop formed part of the national awareness campaign on information security, which is sponsored by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

About 100 students from computer science, electrical and civil engineering branches attended the workshop.

“Our university encourages upload and download of study material online,” MTU Vice-Chancellor Dr Laiphrakpam Tombi Singh said while inaugurating the event. “It is important to not be on the wrong side of the law. There are many legal issues that our students and faculty may not be aware of. This workshop is for them.”

The sessions addressed information technology from technical, legal and security sources. Resource persons were CDAC’s senior technology officer Koushik Maiti, LMS Law College professor Sapam Dilip Singh and deputy superintendent of police (cybercrime) John.

Maiti explained the basics of computer science and the need to learn operating systems other than Windows, such as Linux.

“Most servers and supercomputers are running on Linux,” he said. “Even your Android smartphones are built on Linux.”

He also spoke about the challenges in forensic science, such as huge volumes of data and recovery of deleted evidence. The multi-jurisdictional nature of cyber security requires collaboration between industry, academia and law enforcement, since “the industry keeps coming up with new technology but investigation tools are not updated,” he said.

Professor Sapam Dilip Singh covered the history of legal frameworks around cyber security. “Cybercrime has no national boundaries,” Singh said, adding that international conventions are crucial to fight cybercrime.

He explained various sections of Information Technology Act, 2000, and the tussle between the Act—which allows for surveillance, interception and decryption of messages—and the right to freedom of expression and privacy. “The Supreme Court has ruled that restrictions on freedom of expression must not be arbitrary or excessive and can only be made in public interest,” he said.

“There is a feeling of cyber insecurity among people,” Singh added. “Since the present central government has made a push to digitise India, it will increase.”

DSP John spoke from his experience at the police cybercrime cell. He said the internet of things, which allows us to digitally control our appliances, endangers our privacy. “Someone sitting somewhere can have access to all your data,” the DSP said.

He also warned of dangers of ransomware attacks. Traffic systems as well as electricity and gas supplies in many cities have been computerised, which exposes them to attacks such as the one that shut down a shipping corporation in Mumbai this year, he said.

“This is the first time such a workshop has been held for students in Manipur,” said chief workshop organiser and head of MTU’s computer science and engineering department Jimmy Lishram.

Second-year electrical engineering student Aditya Mutum said he found the sessions interesting and helpful. “What we have been taught can be used in several applications,” he said. “But the technical points were not sufficiently explained.”

First-year civil engineering student Sundary Monsang said, “The workshop was very fast, but we managed to catch up.”