Strengthening cybersecurity in India: A strategic imperative for PSUs, Government agencies and industry

India’s digital transformation has been one of the defining developments of the past decade. From e-governance and digital payments to online education and healthcare, technology now permeates every sphere of public life. With over half a billion internet users and a rapidly expanding digital economy, the nation stands at the threshold of a new era of governance and economic growth. However, this transformation has also brought a parallel challenge — the growing vulnerability of digital systems to cyber threats. Every advancement in connectivity widens the potential attack surface,

making cybersecurity a critical element of national governance, institutional resilience, and citizen trust. The scale and sophistication of cyber threats confronting India today underscore the urgency for a coordinated and strategic response. According to data from the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the number of cybersecurity incidents reported in the country rose from 3.9 lakh in 2019 to over 15.9 lakh in 2023. This sharp increase reflects both greater digital penetration and a more complex threat environment.

The motives behind these attacks range from financial gain and espionage to political disruption and strategic signalling. These incidents are a stark reminder that cybersecurity is not just about protecting systems and data but about ensuring continuity of governance and preserving public confidence in digital services. The Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) has emerged as a key institutional player in strengthening national cyber resilience. As a CERT-In empanelled cybersecurity audit agency, STPI has undertaken extensive efforts to secure both Government and private sector digital assets.

In the past year alone, the organisation has audited more than 100 entities, including several managing critical infrastructure. Its 120-plus certified cybersecurity experts, holding global credentials such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), have tested over one lakh Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, ten lakh lines of source code, 500 web applications, and 1,000 Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). These systematic audits help organisations identify vulnerabilities, implement corrective actions, and align with national and international cybersecurity standards.

In these audits, STPI observed that, in addition to common issues such as weak passwords, poorly configured firewalls, and unidentified open links, several recurring and critical gaps persist across organisations. A major concern is that many entities continue to operate without a formal information security policy, while an overreliance on external consultants has limited internal capacity building. Equally concerning are instances of incomplete or substandard audits, and cases where auditees attempt to influence outcomes. Such practices often keep top management unaware of key vulnerabilities or deprive them of essential information.

Furthermore, a lack of awareness and adherence to the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) guidelines exacerbates these challenges.These recurring deficiencies point to the fact that cybersecurity is not merely a technical function; it is a leadership and governance issue. The first step toward resilience is acknowledging that cyber risk management must be integrated into institutional policy frameworks. Senior management in PSUs, ministries, and enterprises must treat cybersecurity as a board-level responsibility, embedding it within risk governance structures.

Regular management reviews of audit findings, accompanied by time-bound mitigation plans, can ensure continuous improvement and accountability. At the operational level, there is a pressing need to invest in employee capacity building. Targeted awareness programs, hands-on workshops, and simulated cyberattack exercises can help staff at all levels recognise threats such as phishing. Organisations should maintain a proactive cybersecurity posture by implementing multi-factor authentication, enforcing strong password policies, and ensuring continuous monitoring through centralised logging and advanced threat detection systems.

Adopting a Zero Trust architecture-where no user or device is implicitly trusted, and every access request is rigorously verified-can greatly enhance overall defences. Furthermore, network segregation, secure configuration of IT assets, and disabling of unused services help minimise potential vulnerabilities. To ensure long-term resilience, organisations should have their digital infrastructure audited once every year preferably by a Cert-in certified Government agency. Senior management must also ensure that all identified issues receive timely attention and remediation on a regular basis. India’s cyber footprint will only continue to expand as digital transformation accelerates across governance, infrastructure, and commerce. The nation’s ability to sustain this momentum depends on its capacity to secure its digital assets.

Cybersecurity must therefore evolve from being an IT prerogative to a national priority - one that combines policy, technology, and people in equal measure. As India builds the foundations of its digital future, it must do so with a sense of strategic foresight. Leadership commitment, robust governance, and an ingrained culture of cybersecurity awareness are indispensable. By institutionalising these practices, India can ensure that its digital journey remains not only innovative and inclusive but also secure, resilient, and trustworthy. Cybersecurity, ultimately, is the bedrock on which the promise of Digital India will stand.

Writer is a Director General at Software Technology Parks of India