Self-taught ethical hacker Shubham Singh (21) has upgraded the Keystone Cops image of the Mumbai police. Now working closely with the commercial capital’s cops in cybercrime, kidnapping and bank fraud cases, he recently assisted the police to arrest a drug baron.

Three years ago when my Facebook account was hacked, I used information obtained from YouTube to fix it. This achievement prompted me to start reading books and attend seminars on ethical hacking. I signed up for online certification courses in ethical hacking, cyber security, iPhone operating systems and Android penetration testing, says Shubham, currently a first year BCA (bachelor of computer applications) student of Pune’s Tilak University.

After thousands of hours spent learning the intricacies of ethical hacking, in 2013, Shubham was invited by the Agrawal Institute of Management and Technology, Vikhroli (affiliated with Tilak University) to conduct hacking awareness workshops. During the course, he was introduced to a police officer whom he assisted in solving a fraud case. Since then, Shubham™s association with the Mumbai metropolitan police has blossomed.

After working with cops (earning Rs.10,000-12,000 per case) for over a year and acquiring valuable experience, Shubham teamed up with Soumya Mandal, a second-year BCA student of Sikkim Manipal University, to promote the Cyber World Academy (CWA) last year with an initial investment of Rs.45,000 drawn from their savings.

Currently, 100 police officials have signed up for the academy’s free-of-charge cybercrime investigation courses, while 15 students are enrolled for the ethical hacking course (Rs.15,000). Recently, CWA submitted a proposal to Mumbai™s deputy commissioner of police to offer specialised training to officials in the city™s 93 police stations.

Because of his satisfying work experience with law enforcement agencies, Shubham is determined to join the elite Indian Police Service. I am preparing to write the UPSC Civil Services Examination after graduation. If I am successful and get selected for the IPS, I hope to contribute to society in a bigger way by checking the country™s rising crime wave, says Shubham.

Way to go!

Shweta Nair (Mumbai)