India records 15% spike in cyber attacks last year, shows study

The digital realm continues to be a battleground for cybersecurity, with India recording a 15% spike in weekly attacks per organization in 2023 alone, according to new research by cybersecurity firm Checkpoint published on Friday.

Regionally, APAC led with the highest average number of weekly attacks, with an average of 1,930 attacks per organization, a 3% increase compared to last year. Within APAC, India emerged as the second most targeted nation with 2,138 weekly attacks per organization, trailing only behind Taiwan's 3,050 incidents. Korea also saw a 21% increase since 2022.

Other reports have also shown that data breaches continued to pose significant threats to Indian organizations in 2023. According to a report by the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), India faced over 400 million cyber threats in 2023, with an average of 761 detections per minute. The report emphasized the risks posed by technological advancements, particularly in artificial intelligence, with 38% of companies feeling highly exposed to cyber threats. In response, many organizations in India invested in cybersecurity, including AI and machine learning.

In October, cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler discovered a non-password-protected database containing 12 million medical records associated with Redcliffe Labs. The exposed records included sensitive health information, but the company quickly secured the database after being notified. This was followed by a data breach facilitated by a threat actor known as 'pwn0001', which was identified by Resecurity. The actor advertised access to 815 million records of 'Indian Citizen Aadhaar and Passport' on Breach Forums. The compromised data included personal information such as names, ages, genders, addresses, passport numbers, and Aadhaar numbers.

Earlier in the year, reports surfaced about a Telegram bot that allegedly leaked personal data of Indian citizens registered on the CoWIN portal for Covid-19 vaccination. The bot exposed information like names, Aadhaar numbers, and passport numbers based on phone numbers.

The Checkpoint research further shows that globally, the industry-wise breakdown reveals a dynamic shift. The education/research sector, previously a prime target, experienced a notable 12% decrease in attacks but still remained on top of the list with the highest volume of cyber-attacks. Conversely, the retail sector faced a 22% increase, indicating a change in attacker focus. The healthcare sector's 3% increase in attacks is particularly concerning given the critical nature of its services.