As cyberattacks triple amid Pakistan tensions, Indian firms unite to form cybersecurity task force

Indian businesses rally cyber defences as attacks triple amid Pakistan tensions

Amid the tensions with Pakistan, India was not only fighting a war on the border but also repelling a wave of cyberattacks against Indian enterprises, which increased up to three times during Operation Sindoor, cited Business Standard.

Despite facing these attacks, organisations managed to limit breaches, thanks to coordinated efforts among government agencies, private cybersecurity firms, and industry bodies, the report further mentioned.

All this was made possible with the help of the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), a not-for-profit industry body under Nasscom, which formed a joint task force including private sector stakeholders, the report cited.

Unified cybersecurity task force formed

DSCI collaborated with governments, regulators, think tanks, and industry associations on policy advocacy, capacity building, and outreach efforts mentioned the BS report.

This initiative aimed to source threat intelligence from its origin and ensure a unified response across the cybersecurity landscape. The task force was activated in anticipation of retaliatory cyber offensives in response to India's military operations targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan.

"This is the first time we saw concentrated support and information outreach from a variety of departmental organisations, as well as private companies. The DSCI created a task force where intel was shared on a regular basis about notorious actors, so threat profiles were constantly updated," an industry source familiar with the matter told Business Standard.

"In this case, as many started sharing information, we began updating our threat profile and then the scenario changed," the executive further added.

Amid India-Pakistan tensions, MeitY warned of cyber threats targeting the BFSI sector. Sundareshwar Krishnamurthy of PwC India said, “Organisations have implemented various measures including enhanced threat detection... and conducted cyber simulation drills and red team assessments to stress-test the resilience of their infrastructure.”

They have also conducted cyber simulation drills and red team assessments to stress-test the resilience of their infrastructure, he mentioned.

Companies tighten cyber protocols

Some business groups, amid the ongoing tensions, issued advisories warning employees of cyber threats like phishing and reinforced strict cybersecurity protocols.

"Avoid connecting to public or unsecured Wi-Fi networks (such as those belonging to hotels and airports) for work-related tasks. Instead, use your own mobile phone hotspot in such situations," read one such advisory as reported by Business Standard.

TV Narendran, Managing Director and CEO of Tata Steel, told Business Standard, "Irrespective of this incident, we are constantly beefing up our cybersecurity, and we have been doing this for many years."

Cybersecurity service providers reported that companies began rigorously auditing vendors to assess disaster recovery (DR) capabilities.

"We were asked to show how prepared we are if things break down," said a senior executive from a cybersecurity firm.

"Yes, some government websites were down, but operationally, nothing major went offline," he further added.

Pankit Desai, Co-founder and CEO of Sequretek, emphasised the need for sustained preparedness. "What we've established this time around as a preparedness process, I think, needs to continue in the mainstream. My fear is that three or four months down the line, the focus may fade. This should not be a one-off. The geopolitical issues will not die down — new ones will keep arising," he said.

Another senior cybersecurity expert noted that while government websites were the primary targets this time, future attacks could increasingly focus on private enterprises. "We're also seeing a lot of AI bot-led attacks, and that's what happened during this period," the expert explained.

Maharashtra Cyber reportedly identified seven advanced persistent threat (APT) groups behind over 1.5 million cyberattacks on India’s critical infrastructure websites following the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack, according to a PTI report. Of these, only 150 attacks succeeded — indicating a 99.99% failure rate, the report highlighted.