The Telangana State Cooperative Urban Banks Federation recently organized a training program titled “Cyber Hygiene: Navigating the Digital Sky Safely” for CEOs, GMs, AGMs, IT Heads, and IT Officers of Cooperative Urban Banks in Telangana.
Prabhuti Samal, DGM, DoS, RBI, Hyderabad, inaugurated the program in the presence of Vemireddy Narasimha Reddy, President; G Madana Gopala Swamy, Working President; and Pramod Kumar Kedia, Vice President of the federation.
In his address, Prabhuti Samal highlighted the significance of securing the trust of Urban Cooperative Bank (UCB) customers, given the state’s UCBs handle deposits and loans amounting to Rs 15,755 crore as of 30 September 2024. He emphasized the growing prevalence of cyberattacks targeting customers and called for proactive measures to safeguard them.
Addressing the participants, federation leaders Vemireddy Narasimha Reddy, G Madana Gopala Swamy, and Pramod Kumar Kedia stressed the critical role of IT officers in protecting both banks and customers from fraudsters and cyberattacks. They urged participants to remain vigilant and leverage the training to enhance security frameworks within their institutions.
The training covered a wide range of topics, including regulatory guidelines on Cyber Security Frameworks, types of cyber frauds and reporting timelines, cloud usage in banks, social engineering attacks, AI-driven frauds, and advanced hacking techniques such as SQL injection and OWASP vulnerabilities. Practical sessions demonstrated real-world cyber fraud scenarios, equipping participants with tools and strategies to counter such threats effectively.
Eminent faculty, including S.V. Subrahmanyam (Ex-GM & CISO, APCOB), Ch. Tirupathiah (Ex-AGM, Canara Bank), and Ch. Surya (Cyber Security Analyst), led the sessions, delivering insights into governance roles, practical solutions, and emerging threats in cybersecurity.
The program concluded with the distribution of certificates to 32 participants. Krishna Murthy, CEO of the Telangana Federation, expressed gratitude to the faculty for their expertise and commended the participants for their active engagement throughout the session.
This initiative reflects the federation’s commitment to enhancing cybersecurity awareness and building resilience in the cooperative banking sector.