India Witnesses a Surge in Cyberattacks, Healthcare Sector Most Targeted: Report The increasing use of GenAI tools has further amplified these threats through disinformation campaigns, deepfake videos, and targeted phishing schemes
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India is witnessing an alarming rise in cyberattacks, with organizations facing an average of 3,291 attacks per week—44 percent higher than the global weekly average of 1,847, according to the latest report by Check Point Software Technologies, The State of Global Cyber Security 2025.
The healthcare sector has emerged as the most vulnerable, with each organization experiencing an average of 8,614 weekly attacks, followed by the education and government sectors, reporting 7,983 and 4,731 attacks, respectively.
Additionally, Ransomware attacks on Healthcare sector have risen by 47 per cent with attackers prioritizing data exfiltration and extortion over traditional encryption methods.
Globally, cyberattacks have surged by 44 per cent, with new tactics reshaping the threat landscape. Nation-state actors from Russia and China are shifting from acute attacks to prolonged campaigns designed to erode trust and destabilize systems.
BYOD Threats
In India, the report identifies several key threats, including the rise of remote access Trojans (RATs), infostealers like Formbook, and ransomware strains such as Maze. Infostealer attacks, in particular, have risen by 58 per cent, exploiting bring-your-own-device (BYOD) environments, where over 70 per cent of infected devices are personal.
The increasing use of generative AI (GenAI) tools has further amplified these threats through disinformation campaigns, deepfake videos, and targeted phishing schemes.
On the other hand, Edge devices like routers and VPNs have become common entry points for attackers, with botnets controlling over 200,000 devices globally. Alarmingly, 96 per cent of exploits in 2024 targeted vulnerabilities disclosed in previous years, underlining the urgent need for proactive patch management.
India's cybersecurity challenges have also been magnified by large-scale data breaches. One incident exposed 500 GB of biometric data, including that of police and military personnel, due to misconfigured Microsoft S3 bucket databases. Such breaches not only jeopardize privacy but also increase the risk of misuse during critical events like elections.
To combat these escalating threats, the report suggests organizations adopt a multi-layered approach to cybersecurity. Key measures include strengthening BYOD security, investing in threat intelligence, enhancing patch management, securing edge devices, and developing robust incident response plans.
