Kaspersky Blocks 5 Million Cyberattacks Targeting Indian Businesses in 2025, Firm Warns of Growing Threat From AI-Powered Malicious Campaigns

Global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has reported a significant surge in digital threats within India, detecting and blocking more than 50 lakh (5 million) malicious attacks across Indian businesses in 2025. This figure represents a 10% year-on-year growth, highlighting an expanding attack surface as enterprises accelerate their digital adoption. The threats primarily consisted of web-based attacks, including compromised websites, malicious downloads, and unauthorised system access attempts.

The report arrives amidst a broader national trend of increasing cyber activity. India's national cyber agency, CERT-In, handled nearly 29.44 lakh (2.94 million) cyber incidents during the same period, underscoring the massive scale of the challenge facing both the public and private sectors in the country. India Faces Cyber Attack Surge: Over 3,100 Weekly Cyberattacks as AI-Driven Automation Transforms Digital Threat Landscape, Says Report.

The Role of AI in Evolving Threats

A primary concern highlighted by Kaspersky is the increasing sophistication of cybercriminals who are now leveraging artificial intelligence to launch their campaigns. Jaydeep Singh, General Manager for India at Kaspersky, noted that AI enables threat actors to create attacks that are more targeted and adaptive. These "AI-powered" attacks are often designed to bypass traditional security filters, making them significantly harder to detect through standard protocols.

As more enterprises move their core operations online, their exposure to these adaptive threats deepens. The firm warns that as automation becomes a staple in cybercrime, the "margin for error" for businesses has become dangerously thin, requiring a shift from passive defense to proactive, AI-driven monitoring.

Regulatory Landscape and Organisational Readiness

While India's regulatory framework is evolving, marked by increased oversight from CERT-In and new compliance mandates, organisational readiness remains inconsistent. Many Indian businesses are still in the preliminary stages of implementing governance and threat-response capabilities. Kaspersky noted that this gap in preparedness creates significant "exposure windows" that hackers are quick to exploit.

In 2025 alone, CERT-In issued 1,530 alerts and 390 vulnerability notes to help organisations patch critical weaknesses. However, the sheer volume of data consumption in India, which reached 24.01 GB per month per user in 2025, continues to provide a vast landscape of entry points for bad actors, from mobile devices to IoT infrastructure.

Cybersecurity as a Business Imperative

Experts emphasize that cybersecurity must no longer be treated as a mere "checkbox" for regulatory compliance but as a fundamental pillar of business operations. Kaspersky advises that the baseline for safe operation in today’s digital economy must include 24/7 threat monitoring, enforcing strict access controls, and maintaining real-time system updates. Sam Altman Warns AI Could Trigger ‘World-Shaking Cyberattack’ This Year.

The cybersecurity industry in India, currently valued at approximately USD 20 billion, is expanding to meet these needs with over 400 specialized startups. However, the human element remains a vulnerability; investment in specialized capacity-building and security awareness training is deemed essential to ensure that employees can recognize and mitigate suspicious activity before it escalates.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 23, 2026 06:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).