Pune: As cybercriminals increasingly employ artificial intelligence (AI) for sophisticated attacks, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to train “cyber commandos” to effectively identify, intercept, and neutralise AI-driven cyber threats.Training for two batches of commandos, comprising law enforcement personnel, including officers from the Maharashtra Police, will soon commence at the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), a deemed university of the DRDO.Manisha Nene, the head of computer science department at DIAT, said, “As cybercrimes rapidly evolve due to integration of advanced AI tools in criminal activities, we have updated the syllabus for our training programme. We will train them on how to investigate these AI tools used in criminal cases.”The first batch of 30 cyber commandos completed the course at the institute in May.“The trained personnel, particularly from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, played a crucial role during Operation Sindoor, utilising their knowledge gained in the course. This feedback was communicated to us,” added Nene.The six-month course will cover various aspects of combating a new breed of cybercrimes, including AI-generated deepfakes, automated phishing campaigns, identity spoofing, algorithmic attacks on critical infrastructure, and real-time manipulation of data streams.According to the report titled, “The State of AI-Powered Cybercrime: Threat & Mitigation Report 2025,” recently released by the Global Initiative for Restructuring Environment and Management (GIREM) in Bengaluru, AI tools are implicated in approximately 82.6% of all phishing emails.“AI is not only used to generate realistic email text but also to create convincing dashboards, register typo-squatting domains, and develop dynamic, interactive phishing pages, significantly enhancing the effectiveness of these cyber threats,” stated the report.DIAT has involved eight of its professors and engaged DRDO scientists and other experts working in the field.“What is crucial for us is to bring a variety of perspectives and scenarios so that attendees can work on or investigate complex cases in real-time. We also simulate situations by working on specific cases during the class, providing them with exposure to real situations,” the official added.Sanjay Shintre, deputy inspector general of the Maharashtra Cyber Cell, told TOI, “The use of AI tools is significant in several cyber cases, and it is often complicated to address these issues at the police station level. Therefore, the role of highly trained police personnel is crucial. These trained cyber commandos will become valuable assets for the force in tackling advanced cybercrimes.”Shintre noted that very few personnel from the Maharashtra Police were able to pass the entrance examination for the course due to lack of theoretical knowledge.“There are many police officers and personnel who excel in investigating cybercrime cases, but their lack of theoretical knowledge prevents them from clearing the entrance tests. We are working to change this scenario,” he added.
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