Cybersecurity Operatives in India Prepare for Intense Real-World Training Sessions
India's National Cyber Security Scholar Programme (NCSSP) 2025 is set to kick off on August 21, 2025, in Hyderabad. This off-grid cybersecurity leadership training bootcamp aims to build a resilient cadre of cyber defenders across government, industry, and academia.
Immersive Residential Program in a Forest Environment
The three-day immersive residential program will be held in a forest environment, where participants will pitch tents, cook meals, and communicate via HAM radios. This deliberate removal of reliance on conventional tech aims to simulate real cyber crisis conditions.
Focus on Leadership and Cross-Sector Collaboration
The training focus of the NCSSP is on leadership, decision-making under pressure, survival skills, hardware hacking drills, and cross-sector collaboration. These elements are designed to prepare leaders for asymmetric cyber threats affecting critical infrastructure like financial systems, power plants, airports, and smart cities.
Diverse Participants and Collaborators
The NCSSP will bring together a diverse group of leaders from various sectors, including IAS and IPS officers, cybersecurity experts, defence and intelligence agency officials, academics, and executives from banks, telecoms, and managed security service providers. The program is led by the Information Sharing and Analysis Centre (ISAC), supported by CERT-IN under India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), with endorsements from the Ministry of Defence and alliances with organizations like the Indian Navy, Google, Infosys, and law enforcement.
Unique Features and Objectives
The NCSSP offers unique features such as access to the Phygital Cyber Range™, the world's largest cyberattack simulation platform for smart cities, and 24/7 Cyber Range Labs offering over 750 scenarios to hone offensive and defensive cybersecurity skills. The objectives of the NCSSP include proactively building national cyber resilience, training leaders who can navigate complex cyber emergencies with composure and strategic foresight, and fortifying India’s cybersecurity posture against evolving threats.
Shaping the Future of Cybersecurity in India
Rajshekhar Pullabhatla, founder of ISAC, stated that off-grid training is about recalibration and rewiring leaders to think, react, and lead in chaotic environments. The NCSSP is more than just a bootcamp; it's a blueprint for how India prepares its cyber defenders in an era where every second counts. The choice of Hyderabad as the launch site is due to it being one of India's premier cyber innovation hubs, with leading cybersecurity R&D centers, startups, and global firms.
Organizations like GMR and Tata Communications are partnering to bridge the gap between tactical field training and operational infrastructure exposure. The NCSSP is a response to a growing threat landscape and a national investment in the next generation of cyber defenders. The NCSSP is shifting India's cybersecurity strategy towards agility and readiness, moving beyond teaching individuals to operate tools and focusing on leadership, strategic thinking, and resilience.
The NCSSP bootcamp is only the beginning, with participants continuing through January 2026 with weekly digital learning modules. The official program page for the NCSSP 2025 can be found at https://isacfoundation.org/national-cyber-security-scholar/.
Capstone projects of the NCSSP will focus on national infrastructure protection, AI-powered threat modeling, cybercrime and terrorism links, cyber diplomacy, and incident response. The NCSSP training program is unique in its approach, starting in a forest and using hands-on exercises like hardware hacking, RF jamming, lock-picking, war-gaming, crisis response scenarios, and survival skills.
Many NCSSP graduates are expected to become key advisors to state and central governments or to lead cybersecurity operations in major public and private institutions. The NCSSP is backed by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN). The NCSSP is a strategic national push, reflecting India's proactive approach to cyber threats and its aim to outpace them.
In summary, the NCSSP 2025 redefines cybersecurity leadership training by combining physical survival challenges and real-time cyber simulations off-grid, preparing India’s future cyber leaders to protect the nation's digital sovereignty and critical infrastructures under high-stress, unpredictable conditions.
Technology will play a minimal role in communication during the NCSSP, as participants will use HAM radios instead of conventional tech. This simulates real cyber crisis conditions and promotes leadership and cross-sector collaboration.
The National Cyber Security Scholar Programme (NCSSP) aims to fortify India’s cybersecurity posture against evolving threats, focusing not just on technical skills but also on leadership, strategic thinking, and resilience.
The NCSSP will train leaders who can navigate complex cyber emergencies with composure and strategic foresight, preparing them to manage asymmetric cyber threats affecting critical infrastructure like financial systems, power plants, airports, and smart cities.
The NCSSP, led by the Information Sharing and Analysis Centre (ISAC), will bring together a diverse group of leaders from various sectors, including academics, executives from banks, telecoms, and managed security service providers. The program is supported by CERT-IN under India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), with endorsements from the Ministry of Defence.
The NCSSP offers unique features such as access to the Phygital Cyber Range™, the world's largest cyberattack simulation platform for smart cities. The program is more than just a bootcamp; it's a blueprint for how India prepares its cyber defenders in an era where every second counts.
