Securing the nation in an age of silent cyber conflict

India's expanding digital ecosystem now sits at the centre of global cyber conflict, demanding resilience, sovereign control, and Al-driven defence at scale.

- BY AYUSHI SINGH

Cyberattacks today are no longer isolated incidents carried out by lone criminals or opportunistic hackers.

They have evolved into highly coordinated operations involving nation-states, organised crime networks, and hybrid threat actors who target the core digital systems that keep economies, governments, and societies functioning. Modern conflict increasingly unfolds through compromised networks, malicious code, and the erosion of digital trust rather than through conventional military engagements.

India sits at the centre of this shift. Organisations in the country face an average of 3,278 cyberattacks per week, significantly higher than the global average of 1,934, highlighting the scale of adversaries' probing, infiltration, and weaponisation of digital infrastructure. With one of the world's largest and fastest-growing digital ecosystems—spanning cloud platforms, digital payments, telecom networks, public-sector systems, and essential services—the country is now a priority target in the global cyber conflict landscape.

The threat is not abstract. Attacks today are designed to disrupt governance, compromise national platforms, steal sensitive data, and weaken societal confidence. Hospitals, power grids, telecom operators, financial networks, and cloud environments are all under persistent assault, making the digital domain one of India's most strategically contested spaces.

RISING EXPOSURE IN A DIGITISED ECONOMY

India's cyber exposure stems from the rapid digitalisation of services, accelerated cloud adoption, and the proliferation of internet-connected devices. The country accounts for nearly 7% of global email-borne threats and ranks third worldwide in malware detections. Every layer of digital transformation—from hybrid work environments to cloud-native applications and IoT deployments—expands the attack surface.