DSCI and SEQRITE Unveil Cyber Threat Report 2023 at AISS 2023

In a collaborative effort, the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) and SEQRITE have unveiled the India Cyber Threat Report 2023 at the 18th edition of the nasscom-DSCI Annual Information Security Summit 2023. The report, a first-of-its-kind initiative tailored for the Indian cybersecurity landscape, was officially launched by Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwani Lohani, CEO, GMR Aero Services, and Former Chairman, Railway Board & Air India, Vinayak Godse, CEO, DSCI, and Vishal Salvi, CEO, Quick Heal.

The comprehensive Threat Report is designed to empower businesses with India-centric knowledge and actionable recommendations to strengthen their cybersecurity posture. Among its many findings, the report highlights a significant surge in Adware and Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs) on Android devices, exposing a concerning trend of fake and malicious applications downloaded by millions from the Google Play Store.

Key Findings of the Report:

The Scale of Threats:

Total Detections: Over 400 million detections across approximately 8.5 million Endpoints.
Detection Rate: Averaging 761 detections per minute.
Behaviour-based detections: ~49 million detections constituting 12.5% of the total detections.

Ransomware and Malware Incidents:

Ransomware incident ratio: ~1 incident/cyberattack per 650 detections.
Malware incident ratio: ~1 incident/cyberattack per 38,000 detections.
Cryptojacking: ~Emerging as a significant threat with over 5.28 million detections in a year.

Malware Attack Spectrum:

Dominant Threats: Trojans (41%) and Infectors (33%).
Geographical Hotspots (States): Telangana (15%) and Tamil Nadu (14%).
City-wise Analysis: Surat (15%) and Bengaluru (14%).
Top three Industries: The Automobile Industry, Government, and Education sectors.

Attack Vectors:

Distribution of Detections: Over 50% associated with removable media and network drives.
Malicious Links: Approximately 25% of attacks result from clicking on malicious links.

Mobile Threat Landscape:

Android Devices: An average of ~3 attacks per month per Android device observed for the year 2023.

Vinayak Godse, CEO of DSCI, emphasized the rising strategic concern of cybersecurity at the board level, urging organizations to leverage the report as a strategic guide. Vishal Salvi, CEO of Quick Heal Technologies, acknowledged the demand for collaborative efforts and innovative solutions in today’s cyber landscape. He thanked DSCI and SEQRITE Labs for their commitment to creating excellence in cybersecurity and their efforts to transform the ecosystem.

This India-centric threat report aims not only to illuminate the threat landscape but also to provide practical insights for staying ahead of cyber threats in a collaborative and rapidly evolving digital environment.