Cyber Security in India- Concerns & Actions

While India is pacing towards enhanced digitalization across every sector, an epidemic of cyber-attacks has cost businesses dearly.

According to INC42, in the first quarter of 2022 alone, the country saw 18 Mn cyberattacks and 2 Lakh threats per day, with local governments being a key target.

Robust cybersecurity measures for organizations, regardless of their size, are crucial. The battle against cyber-attacks in India is an ongoing endeavour that requires both adaptive strategies and awareness of the evolving threat landscape and its impact. 

‘If you are ‘Online’ you are ‘In Sight’ of adversaries, no matter your business vertical, size, or revenue. Hence it is crucial that you have a trusted partner like SecurityHQ who can help you safeguard your digital footprint.’ – Sanket Khanolkar, COO and Chief People Officer, SecurityHQ

In this article, delve into the most prevalent cybersecurity threats looming over India’s digital landscape, and view strategies to mitigate the risks associated with them. 

Increase of Attacks Targeting Healthcare

Ransomware attacks are among the most significant attacks that swarm the digital ecosystem in India at present. A ransomware attack is a malicious attack, made by a bad actor or Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) to gain unauthorized access to an organization’s network architecture and encrypt valuable data with the aim of extorting a ransom payment from the victim. Since the scope of disruption and financial loss is very high in these types of attacks, this makes them a common strategy among threat actors to achieve their nefarious motives. 

An example of such an attack can be seen in the AIIMS, Delhi cyber attack of 2022. On the 23^rd of November one of the leading medical institutions in India, All-India Institute of Medical Sciences’ (AIIMS), was hit by a ransomware attack. According to The Hindu e-paper, threat actors targeted 5 servers of the organisation and encrypted 1.3 terabytes of data. 

Socially Engineered Schemes and Crafty Campaigns 

Phishing campaigns often go together with ransomware attacks and are used as one of the most common types of social engineering attacks. A phishing campaign involves sophisticated deception executed through emails or messages that mimic legitimate entities and lure the victim into divulging sensitive information, installing malware, or transferring funds to suspicious accounts. 

The infamous Ayushman Bharat Scam leveraged people’s vulnerability during the pandemic and the Indian government’s free health coverage initiatives to deceive its targets. In this attack, a message was circulated stating that ‘10 crore people between the ages of 13 and 70 years were being offered free insurance worth ₹5,00,000 to cover the Covid-19 pandemic’. Of course, this was not the case. Personal information of all users who signed up, was stolen. According to Business Insider ‘

Malicious Malware and IOT Attacks

A malware attack is designed to exploit vulnerabilities in the network infrastructure of an organization to deceive users into downloading harmful content, which can have far-reaching consequences, including financial loss and unauthorized access. This attack can manifest itself in various forms, such as viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, and ransomware.

Internet of Things (IOT) attacks have also increased substantially, but few organisations see these devices as dangerous.

‘IoT has skyrocketed in terms of its application with connected devices, creating more entry points in the process. Not all these points are patched properly, and they leave accounts for users, clients and companies exposed.’

The Future of Enhanced Cyber Security

At SecurityHQ, we recognize the urgency of the situation, which is why we offer a comprehensive range of Managed Services that ensures an enhanced security posture for your organization.

• 24/7 Monitoring
• Rapid Threat Detection
• Adherence to Compliance Requirements
• Proactive Risk Reduction

‘Today SecurityHQ is one of the top-most preferred Cyber Security Services Partner for organisations in India, across all verticals. Our clients are some of the most known household names and trust us when it comes to their Cyber Security requirements. Our Global SOC is currently providing high-end Managed Detection & Response services to a vast majority of them. Be it India’s top financial institutions, exchanges, energy, healthcare, or retail; SecurityHQ has a proven track record of consistently elevating their security posture.’ – Sanket Khanolkar, COO and Chief People Officer, SecurityHQ

For more information on how to improve your security, or if you have a question about enhancing the security posture of your business, speak to an expert here.