Sharp Rise in Cyberattacks in Indian Websites

Indian websites have been under siege in the first quarter of 2024, experiencing a staggering 261% increase in cyberattacks compared to the same period in 2023, according to a report by application security firm Indusface. This is significantly higher than the global rise of 76% during the same timeframe.

The report, titled “State of Application Security,” highlights a concerning trend of cybercriminals targeting critical infrastructure. Power and energy companies in India were found to be hit particularly hard, facing up to 500 times more attacks than the average across all industries.

“This sharp rise in cyberattacks on Indian applications is a serious issue,” said Ashish Tandon, founder and CEO of Indusface, in an interview with Business Standard. “We’re also seeing a shift in targets, with attackers focusing more on unregulated industries like power and manufacturing, alongside the usual financial institutions.”

The report identifies two main types of attacks plaguing Indian websites:

• Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks: These attacks overwhelm servers with a flood of internet traffic, making them inaccessible to legitimate users. DDoS attacks in India surged by 76% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to 2023.
• Bot attacks: These automated attacks use software programs (bots) to perform malicious activities, such as stealing data or launching DDoS attacks. The report found a massive 147% increase in bot attacks on Indian websites compared to the previous year, with healthcare and financial institutions being the most targeted sectors.

These findings underscore the growing threat of cyberattacks in India. Businesses and individuals alike need to be vigilant and take steps to protect themselves, such as implementing strong cybersecurity measures and staying updated on the latest cyber threats.