A recent analysis conducted by cybersecurity entity Cyfirma indicates that India is the primary focus of cyber-related criminal activities. As per the findings, India stands as the most significantly impacted nation globally. Note that it accounts for 13.7% of all cyberattacks directed at it. Subsequently, the United States encounters 9.6% of these attacks, while Indonesia grapples with 9.3%, and China contends with 4.5%. Specifically noteworthy, instances of cyber assaults on governmental bodies in India during the year 2022 more than doubled. This underscores a substantial escalation in cyber assaults targeting these agencies.
In the latter half of 2022, there was a staggering 95% increase in cyberattacks targeting government agencies compared to the corresponding period in 2021. Calculations indicate that the frequency of cyber-attacks in India surged by over 100% in 2022 in contrast to the previous year, underscoring a notable escalation in cyber threats.
Hackers Use the Healthcare Sector as a Prime Target
According to sources, hackers predominantly target the healthcare sector, making it the primary focus of cyber-attacks. Following healthcare, other sectors such as education, research, government, and the military also reportedly face significant targeting by hackers. Kumar Ritesh, the CEO and founder of Cyfirma, commented that India’s increasing significance on the global platform, coupled with support from Western economies favoring India over other sizable nations, along with a young and tech-savvy population having limited cybersecurity maturity, has significantly contributed to hackers targeting critical assets and government agencies.
They intend to breach these entities, posing a threat to India’s strategic interests. The report also indicated that, on average, an organization in India faced 1,866 cyber-attacks per week in 2022.
Most Popular Forms Cyberattacks
According to the reports, the prevalent forms of cyberattacks include:
Phishing attacks
Malware attacks
Ransomware attacks
Earlier ransomware attacks
Reports indicate that approximately 78 percent of Indian organizations encountered a ransomware attack in 2021. Additionally, of those attacks, roughly 80 percent resulted in data encryption, as outlined in the report.
Between January and July 2023, an observed 39 campaigns targeted various industries in India. These campaigns were works of groups such as FancyBear, TA505, Mission 2025, Stone Panda, and the Lazarus Group.
Who Were the Attackers?
Out of the observed 39 campaigns, reports indicated that 14 were doings of China State-sponsored groups with the purpose of espionage. Additionally, according to reports, North Korea orchestrated 11 of these campaigns. The remaining 10 attacks were from Russia, of which four were state-sponsored actions.
