India’s Cyber Security Landscape

With the second-largest Internet user base and a leading Information and Communications Technology industry, India has quickly adopted digital technologies to emerge as a major actor in the global cyberspace. This thrust on digital and information technologies is accompanied by a rapid expansion of cyberthreats such as malware attacks, data breaches and cyber-enabled espionage operations. While there has been no major disruptive cyber-attack, India has faced multiple attacks from China and Pakistan—two countries with which it is locked in protracted border disputes. These two sources of threat are joined by non-state actors such as organised hacking syndicates and terrorist groups which have used the cyberspace to target Indian interests. This paper broadly examines the sources and nature of India’s cyberthreats. It also reviews the government’s policy measures to counter these threats. The paper argues that in tackling these threats, India maintains a precarious balance between its commitment to a liberal multi-stakeholder order in the cyberspace and the pressure to protect its national security interests.