India’s Cyber Range Superpower: How NCSSP Is Training CISOs On The World’s Most Advanced Phygital Lab

In the global cybersecurity arms race, where nations struggle to simulate real-world cyber-physical threats, one country has quietly surged ahead: India. And at the heart of this lead is the award-winning Phygital Cyber Range, a revolutionary training environment that blends the physical and digital world into a single, high-fidelity, real-time cyber warfare simulation platform.

Built and managed by the ISAC Foundation, this Phygital Cyber Range is the backbone of the National Cyber Security Scholar Program (NCSSP)—a program that is now transforming the way CISOs, military leaders, and government officials prepare for the next wave of cyber-attacks on Critical Information Infrastructure (CII).

Guinness World Records, Global Adoption, and Exclusive Access

With three Guinness World Records under its belt, this cyber range is not just world-class—it’s world-first in many aspects. It has already been deployed for national-scale simulations in:

• UAE – in collaboration with security authorities and national resilience teams

• Indonesia – for financial sector and energy infrastructure defense

• India – with 10+ labs operational across the country, embedded in universities, research hubs, and corporate defense ecosystems

Surprisingly, this kind of Phygital Cyber Range doesn’t yet exist in Israel, the US, or Europe—countries that are only now beginning to explore similar deployments.

“What Israel and the US are now planning, India and NCSSP are already executing at scale,”
— Cyber Policy Expert, ASEAN Region

Aviation Labs in International Airports

Two of India’s busiest airports—Delhi and Hyderabad International Airports—now house dedicated aviation cyber range simulators, developed by ISAC in partnership with GMR Group. These simulators model attacks on radar systems, biometric boarding gates, airport OT systems, and even air cargo logistics—training cyber defenders for real-life aviation scenarios.

This is not a classroom case study. This is live simulation of chaos—how to detect, respond to, and recover from attacks that could cripple an airport or threaten lives.

Premier Academic Partnerships: MAHE, Udupi

The Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) in Udupi, a leading institution in healthcare and technology, hosts one of the flagship deployments of the Phygital Cyber Range for the BFSI and medical infrastructure sectors. Scholars and researchers here simulate breaches on hospital networks, banking OT systems, and financial data exchanges—all within a controlled, real-world simulated environment.

Why This Matters for NCSSP Scholars

NCSSP isn’t just a cybersecurity leadership program. It’s the only one in the world where cohorts train on this next-gen range across multiple cities, interacting with OT environments spanning:

• Power & Energy Grids

• Smart Transportation Systems

• Healthcare OT Networks

• Telecom Infrastructure

• Space-based Communication Systems

• Airports, Banks, Smart Cities & more

This Phygital Range is the closest approximation to cyberwarfare without starting one—and NCSSP scholars get trained right in the thick of it.

A Legacy of Innovation: NSD and the Global Shift in Cyber Training

Long before global militaries recognized the importance of cognitive readiness in cyber roles, India’s National Security Database (NSD)—which underpins NCSSP—had already institutionalized psychometric testing for cybersecurity professionals.

This practice was later picked up by the US Army and is now a key part of military cybersecurity screening globally.

Through NCSSP, scholars undergo these psychometric evaluations, not just to test aptitude, but to refine leadership, decision-making, and crisis temperament—traits that no technical certification can ever assess.

Exclusive Access to BreachX: Zero-Day Intelligence for the Real World

As a unique edge, NCSSP alumni gain access to BreachX’s Zero Day Intelligence (ZDI) platform—a classified adversary-web intelligence network that monitors dark web chatter, APT group movements, and underground marketplace activities.

This means:

• Early warning alerts up to 90 days before an attack

• Custom risk assessments based on their organization’s infrastructure

• Tailored threat mapping from real adversary planning activities

• Direct access to NSD and BreachX response teams during incidents

“When you're a CISO dealing with live threats, BreachX alerts aren’t just useful—they’re lifesaving.”
— NCSSP Alumnus, Energy Sector

NCSSP: More Than a Career Shift—A Crisis-Ready, Intelligence-Empowered Network

Beyond the certifications, beyond the faculty, beyond even the curriculum—NCSSP creates an ecosystem.

As an alumnus, you don’t just carry a credential—you plug into a living network of defenders, gain access to crisis response resources, and stand at the frontline of cyber intelligence that few in the world ever see.

When attacks come—and they always do—NCSSP alumni are prepared, protected, and pre-emptively warned.

Cybersecurity Has a New Capital—And It’s Phygital, Practical, and Indian

While others theorize, NCSSP operationalizes.
While others license content, NCSSP builds capabilities.
And while others sell certifications, NCSSP builds warriors.

This is not just a program. It is India’s strategic cyber defense accelerator—exported to the world, admired by allies, and trusted by the sectors that matter most.

If you’re a cybersecurity leader looking to make a real difference, ask yourself this:

“Am I learning theory? Or am I training where the future is already happening?”

Only NCSSP has the answer—and the Range to prove it.

For more information visit- https://isacfoundation.org/national-cyber-security-scholar/