Cyber ​​Risk Alert for Indian Companies: 96% of Firms Affected

The threat of cyberattacks is rising rapidly in India. According to Cisco, 96 percent of Indian organizations have faced business-impacting cyber incidents over the past 12 months. Here are the details of the report.

With the increasing use of AI, the threat of cyberattacks is becoming a major challenge for companies. A new Cisco report reveals that 96 percent of organizations in India encountered cyber incidents that directly impacted their business operations over the last year. More than one-third of these cases involved AI-driven attacks. For companies, cybersecurity is no longer merely a technology-related issue; it now has a direct impact on business operations.

What poses a bigger challenge to cyber defense than technology?

Cisco’s 'Relentless Defense Report' highlights that a lack of technology is not the only hurdle in strengthening corporate cybersecurity. Delays in approvals, fragmented data, and teams that lack proper connectivity are also significant obstacles. The report is based on a double-blind survey of 8,000 security professionals across 30 markets, including 1,000 respondents from India.

India’s Security Score Stood at 66

The report evaluated companies based on the coverage of their security systems, the speed at which they identify cyber threats, and their ability to remediate them. India’s average score was 66 out of 100, compared to a global average of 64; however, only 8 percent of Indian organizations fell into the top-performing category—a figure that matched the global average. According to the report, these top-tier organizations boasted superior security coverage alongside a greater capacity to identify threats and respond to them rapidly.

The Gap Between Security, IT, and Networking Teams

In India, only 40 percent of respondents stated that their security, networking, and IT teams work collaboratively, sharing tools and visibility. This indicates that in a large number of organizations, security-related tasks are fragmented across different teams. Data management also emerged as a significant challenge; 44 percent of Indian organizations reported spending more time gathering and integrating data from disparate systems than actually addressing cyber threats. Meanwhile, 43 percent acknowledged that data silos prevent critical information from coming to light.

Is AI Strengthening Cybersecurity?

According to over 90 percent of security experts in India, AI has improved the ability to detect and respond to cyber threats by at least 25 percent. While approximately 40 percent of companies are utilizing AI agents, concerns regarding data leaks and system security persist.