India's defence, other govt departments fell prey to cyber attacks in 2024, Telegram a hotbed: Report

India experienced a high number of cyberattacks in the first six months of 2024 with key fields like education, defence and research among the "victims." Various government branches and the technology sector were also among the primary targets while healthcare, banking, manufacturing, and consumer services were also hit. 

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The six-month period witnessed 388 data breaches, 107 data leaks, 39 ransomware activities, and 59 cases of access sales or leaks. The Telegram app was a hotbed for data breaches and scams. A hub of hackers, Telegram is used as the platform to coordinate attacks and share information.

The findings were released by the 'India Breach Report' by FalconFeeds, a product of cybersecurity firm Technisanct. Government and public sector entities were disproportionately affected, with the Centre bearing the brunt of the attacks, it claimed.

How cyberattacks targeted Indian sectors in first half of 2024 | Source: ‘India Breach Report’ by FalconFeed

According to the report, March and April witnessed an increase in cyber incidents. It peaked in May before dropping significantly in July.  Notably, a surge in incidents of cyberattacks coincided with the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 which was held from April 19 to June 1.

Month-wise distribution of cyberattacks in India | Source: ‘India Breach Report’ by FalconFeed

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Data breaches being the most common form of cyber attack in India means leading organisations lack robust data protection measures. Sensitive information belonging to these institutions remains "highly vulnerable" to exposure, FalconFeeds warns in the report. 

The report identified as many as "71 victims" of cyber attacks in the public and government sectors between January and June. Even military, defence, law enforcement sectors were hit alongwith several departments headed by state governments, it said. The states of Bihar, Kerala, Haryana, New Delhi, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh were among the most hit in the list released by the cybersecurity firm.

State-wise chart of cyberattacks in India | Source: ‘India Breach Report’ by FalconFeed

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Regular security audits, employee training, data encryption, and robust incident response plans were among the safeguards.

“This evolving cyber threat landscape in the nation,  particularly within critical sectors like government and education, is a stark reminder that it is high time we need to create a protocol to address this  issue. No sector is immune,” said Nandakishore Harikumar the CEO of Technisanct.