- India’s cybersecurity posture has improved tremendously, as seen by its current Tier 1 ranking (98.49) in the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2024.
- Hybrid warfare emerged as a result of virtual space combat, as opposed to the more conventional battles fought on battlefields.
- Critical cyberattacks have affected the majority of India’s economic sectors in recent years.
- The Indian government intends to strengthen its vital infrastructure against this constantly changing cyber threat landscape by combining institutional control, technology advancements, legislative actions, and international collaboration.
India’s cybersecurity posture has improved tremendously, as seen by its current Tier 1 ranking (98.49) in the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2024. This places India among the top nations demonstrating a strong commitment to cybersecurity across a range of areas, including cooperation, organizational strategy, technical readiness, legal measures, and capacity building.
India is still vulnerable to cyberattacks despite this. Over 429,000 of the 112,474 cybersecurity incidents that were reported nationwide in 2023 targeted financial institutions. According to a 2023 report, 83% of Indian firms experienced at least one cybersecurity incident, placing India fourth in the Asia-Pacific region for such incidents.
Naturally, this calls for ongoing investments in cyber-infrastructure and capabilities, ranging from modernizing outdated systems to enhancing the human element—the urgent need for a greater supply of qualified and experienced cybersecurity professionals—to accelerating and improving threat detection and response mechanisms.
The Evolution of Hybrid Warfare and Cybersecurity
The strategy and tactics of fighting in warfare have seen a significant transformation in the contemporary era. Hybrid warfare emerged as a result of virtual space combat, as opposed to the more conventional battles fought on battlefields. The fusion of traditional military tactics with non-traditional ones, such as economic pressure, disinformation operations, and cyberattacks, is known as hybrid warfare. This makes cybersecurity a significant issue; it is essential for safeguarding countries, businesses, or people against these online dangers.
Understanding Hybrid Warfare
Using a variety of instruments and strategies to accomplish strategic objectives without resorting to direct military action is known as hybrid warfare. It disrupts the enemies by using information, technology, and psychological manipulation. One component of hybrid warfare is cybersecurity, which attempts to protect digital infrastructures from the potential for disastrous breaches.
The practice of defending networks, systems, and data from online threats, theft, and damage is known as cybersecurity. It includes a variety of instruments, methods, and procedures intended to guarantee the availability, confidentiality, and integrity of data.
The Significance of Cybersecurity
1. Protecting Against Cyber Threats: Prevents cyberattacks and illegal access to sensitive data.
2. Protecting National Security: Stops cyberterrorism and cyberespionage that targets vital infrastructure.
3. Economic Stability: It protects companies from monetary losses brought on by ransomware attacks and data breaches.
4. Personal Privacy: It shields private data from phishing and identity theft.
5. Global Connectivity: In a world that is becoming more interconnected, it guarantees safe communication.
Significant Indian Cyberattacks
Critical cyberattacks have affected the majority of India’s economic sectors in recent years. These attacks targeted financial institutions, private businesses, government agencies, and vital infrastructure. These incidents draw attention to both more complex threat actor attacks and flaws in cybersecurity systems. Some examples of these cases are:
India’s critical sectors—defence, science, energy, healthcare, banking, and public infrastructure—have been the target of many attacks. Malware assaults against DRDO in 2013 resulted in suspected Chinese state-sponsored actors stealing confidential data, perhaps including missile blueprints. In 2020, the North Korean state-sponsored group Lazarus Group targeted DRDO once more, compromising key defence project data. They were also connected to the DTrack malware intrusion at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in 2019.
While it was reported in 2019 that an APT group had entered the Bhabha Atomic Scientific Centre, resulting in the leakage of critical scientific data, the Chinese group RedEcho breached Indian power grids between 2020 and 2021. The banking sector had some significant setbacks, including the 2018 Cosmos Bank theft, in which 94 crore was embezzled using SWIFT transactions and cloned cards, and the 2019 State Bank of India data leak, in which 422 million customer records were exposed because of a server that was improperly configured. In 2022, ransomware struck AIIMS, crippling its patient services for weeks. This attack also targeted the healthcare industry. The 2020 COVID-19 vaccine research breaches were an alleged attempt by Chinese and North Korean entities to steal data from Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech.
Its energy industry was also not immune; in 2017, malware had a significant impact on power delivery in western India, and in 2021, Chinese APT organizations may have been responsible for a targeted espionage operation against ONGC, Indian Oil, and other companies for obtaining exploratory data. Public infrastructure has also been the target of high-profile attacks, such as the worldwide WannaCry ransomware campaign in 2017 and the 2020 Mumbai power outage, which was thought to be a hack due to the then-current tensions with China.
As demonstrated by the 2018 Aadhaar data leak, in which insider threats and vulnerabilities revealed millions of people’s personal information, and the 2021 NIC email server breach, which was most likely the result of state-sponsored attackers, government and citizen data were also compromised. These events demonstrate how common it is for insider threats, state-sponsored organizations, and cybercriminals to take advantage of unpatched systems, inadequate endpoint protection, and human mistakes.
Important Projects
The Indian government has established a robust framework of precaution and strategy, encompassing policy reforms, institutional strengthening, technology innovation, capacity building, and international cooperation, to counteract the growing wave of cybersecurity threats. These important organizations include CERT-In, NCIIPC, and NTRO, which provide cybersecurity intelligence, safeguard vital information infrastructure, and keep a close eye on threats and react appropriately. Legal frameworks to secure data and guarantee privacy can be established by policies such as the 2008 update to the IT Act of 2000, sector-specific guidelines for vital areas, and the planned Personal Data Protection Bill.
Threat detection, advanced encryption standards, and cyber ranges that allow training in response to attack scenarios are examples of technology investments in AI-based tools. These days, cyber forensic labs are set up for these kinds of event investigations, and initiatives like the Cyber Swachhta Kendra help with malware attack mitigation and botnet cleanups. Therefore, regular vulnerability patching, mandatory cyber audits, and breach reporting to be used on frequent and recurring breaches will all be part of standard operating practices. The government has forensic labs, public awareness campaigns, and comprehensive cybersecurity training programs. To safeguard vital information inside Indian borders, it also encourages the creation of domestic cybersecurity solutions and requires data localization. India regularly interacts with foreign organizations, provides threat intelligence, and takes part in international frameworks such as the Budapest Convention because it acknowledges the interconnectedness of cyber threats.
Emerging dangers also need to be addressed, such as threats to CBRN systems and the security of 5G networks and IoT devices. The Indian government intends to strengthen its vital infrastructure against this constantly changing cyber threat landscape by combining institutional control, technology advancements, legislative actions, and international collaboration.
Helplines and Portals:
- Cyber Crime Helpline: Dial 1930 or visit cybercrime.gov.in to report cybercrimes.
- CERT-In Website: cert-in.org.in provides real-time alerts and advisories.
References:
- https://thecyberexpress.com/top-15-cyberattacks-that-rocked-india
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_breaches_in_India
- https://cybervie.com/case-study/case-study-on-recent-data-breach-in-india-in-2024/
- https://strobes.co/blog/top-data-breaches-in-2024-month-wise
- https://www.meity.gov.in/cyber-security-division
- https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/india-needs-a-strategic-approach-to-hybrid-warfare-640755
- https://www.orfonline.org/research/preparing-for-the-future-the-need-for-india-to-develop-hybrid-warfare-capabilities
Piyush Anand is a Biotechnology Engineering student at Chandigarh University. His primary interest lies in International Affairs, Defence and Strategy. Views expressed at the author’s own.
Shrivara Mahajan 
SamvadaWorld Staff