Syllabus — Cyber Sensitization and Digital Hygiene (ICT-112)
Official GGSIPU syllabus for the B.Tech 2026-30 batch (first year, under USICT), applicable from the academic session 2026-27.
L 4 C 4
Teachers Continuous Evaluation: 40 marks. Term-End Semester Examination: 60 marks.
Course outcomes
- Identify and mitigate common cyber threats, social engineering tactics, and malicious softwarevariations encountered in daily digital interactions
- Configure and maintain optimal privacy, credential safety, and wireless connection settings across personal communication accounts and devices
- Execute safe digital banking, UPI, and e-commerce transactions while systematically identifying online financial traps and fraudulent gateways
- Interpret fundamental statutory cyber laws, intellectual property rights, and execute the exact compliance procedures required to report digital offenses
Unit I
Introduction to the digital landscape and personal digital footprints. Overview of software vulnerabilities including malware, spyware, ransomware, trojans, and adware. Core principles of credential security covering strong password generation, password managers, and multi-factor authentication (MFA/2FA). Comprehensive study of social engineering tactics such as phishing, smishing, vishing, spear-phishing, and baiting.
Unit II
Social Media Privacy and Network Safety: Analysis of privacy architectures on modern social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X. Risks of oversharing information, identity theft, and profile cloning. Examining platform reporting for cyberbullying, online stalking, deepfakes, and photo morphing. Technical review of network threats including public Wi-Fi risks, man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks, rogue hotspots, and unsecured Bluetooth. Best practices for secure browsing using HTTPS, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and understanding incognito mode limitations.
Unit III
Financial Cyber Safety and E-Commerce Security: Overview of the digital payment ecosystem, including Unified Payments Interface (UPI) workflows, mobile wallets, and internet banking channels. Deconstruction of financial frauds such as SIM swapping, OTP scams, fake QR codes, lottery traps, remote access scams, and card skimming. Best practices for secure e- commerce, spotting fake shopping portals, verifying SSL certificates, and using safe payment gateways. Introduction to cryptocurrency risks, peer-to-peer transaction threats, and investment scams.
Unit IV
Introduction to cyber jurisprudence, netiquette, and digital ethics. Study of India’s Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, focusing on punitive clauses including Sections 66, 66C, 66D, 66E, and 67. Awareness of data privacy legislation including India's Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act and GDPR basics. Understanding Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in cyberspace, software piracy, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. Standard procedures for emergency incident response, compiling digital evidence, and reporting offenses on national portals like cybercrime.gov.in.
Textbooks
- N. Godbole and S. Belapure, Cyber Security: Understanding Cyber Crimes, Computer Forensics and Legal Perspectives, Wiley India, 2011.
- J. Pande, Introduction to Cyber Security, Uttarakhand Open University, 2017.