Bharat Cybersecurity Exercise 2025 Concludes Strong

The Bharat National Cybersecurity Exercise 2025 emerged as a cornerstone event in fortifying India’s cyber defense infrastructure, fostering collaboration across sectors, and addressing next-gen cyber threats like AI manipulation and ICS vulnerabilities.

Highlights:

• More than 600 experts from government, defense, academia, and industry took part.
• Focus on AI-driven cyber threats, ICS security, and SOC, API, DFIR, REMA modules.
• Included Stratex simulations for real-time crisis and inter-agency coordination.
• The Bharat CISOs Conclave and Cybersecurity Startup Exhibition highlighted innovation and fostered strategic dialogue.
• Top officials emphasized continuous innovation, collaboration, and resilient defense mechanisms.

The Bharat National Cybersecurity Exercise 2025, jointly organized by the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU), concluded on a high note, solidifying its place as a landmark initiative in India’s evolving cybersecurity architecture.

With over 600 cybersecurity professionals, including policymakers, defense personnel, academicians, and industry leaders in attendance, the event provided a comprehensive platform for knowledge exchange and capability development.

This year’s exercise placed significant emphasis on Industrial Control Systems (ICS) security and the increasing challenges posed by AI-driven cyber threats, such as adversarial attacks and deepfake manipulation. In addition to these, specialized modules were conducted in Security Operations Centers (SOC), API security, Reverse Engineering Malware Analysis (REMA), and Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) — all crucial elements in modern cybersecurity strategies.

The Bharat CISOs Conclave and the BHARAT Cybersecurity Startup Exhibition further elevated the event by serving as interactive forums for strategic dialogue and technological showcase. They played a vital role in advancing India’s cybersecurity ecosystem by highlighting innovative tools and encouraging synergies across domains.

A standout segment of the event was the Strategic Exercise (Stratex) — a high-level simulation of national cyber threats designed to test real-time response capabilities, inter-agency collaboration, and crisis management proficiency. This exercise contributed greatly to strengthening situational awareness and reinforcing national cyber defense readiness.

Delivering the valedictory address, Shri T. V. Ravichandran, Deputy National Security Advisor, stressed the importance of adapting to evolving threat paradigms, calling for inter-agency synergy, technological innovation, and resilient frameworks to safeguard the country’s digital sovereignty.

Major General Manjeet Singh, Joint Secretary (Cyber), NSCS, offered a comprehensive review of key insights from the exercise, citing emerging threat patterns, the need for intelligence sharing, and resilient cyber architecture as top priorities for national security stakeholders.

Representing academia, Professor Kalpesh Wandra, Pro Vice-Chancellor of RRU, underlined the central role of research, education, and innovation in cybersecurity. He emphasized that interdisciplinary collaboration and skill-building are crucial for creating a future-ready cyber workforce.

Colonel Debashish Bose, Director of NSCS, concluded the event with a Vote of Thanks, appreciating the commitment of all participants, partner organizations, and the RRU team. He emphasized the unity and professionalism that drove the exercise’s success.

As the National Cybersecurity Exercise 2025 wraps up, it leaves a strong legacy of collaboration, innovation, and strategic preparedness, reaffirming India’s commitment to a secure, resilient, and self-reliant digital future.