Ransomware and Cyberattacks Disrupt Global Companies
Last week, Collins Aerospace, a US company providing check-in and boarding technology for airlines, suffered a ransomware attack. This led to flight cancellations at several busy airports in Europe. In another case, Jaguar Land Rover, owned by India’s Tata Group, faced a cyberattack last month. The attack disrupted car production for weeks. The company confirmed that its internal systems were compromised and some stolen data was later posted on Telegram.
Cyberattacks Increasing Rapidly
These incidents are part of a growing trend of cyberattacks as businesses adopt digital technology faster than ever. According to CheckPoint Research, organizations in India faced an average of 3,237 cyberattacks per week as of August 2025.
Shortage of Cybersecurity Professionals
The shortage of cybersecurity professionals worldwide, including in India, makes the problem worse. Vinayak Godse, CEO of the Data Security Council of India, said that organizations must manage security incidents in real-time. Due to a lack of skilled resources, organizations face weak security governance and slower responses.
Rising Costs of Data Breaches
The skill shortage also increases financial costs. IBM’s Cost of Data Breach 2025 report shows that organizations with a high shortage of security skills spend an average of $5.22 million per breach. Organizations with a low shortage spend $3.65 million.
Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Digital, said the demand for cybersecurity skills continues to rise. Fresh graduates are entering the field, but mid to senior-level professionals who can handle incident response and threat hunting are scarce. She added that India faces a 40 to 45 percent shortfall in cybersecurity talent, particularly in cloud security, application security, identity management, and compliance.
Automation and AI Partly Address the Gap
Organizations use automation and machine learning for threat detection, but many cybersecurity tasks remain manual. Analysts spend significant time investigating alerts, cross-referencing intelligence, and responding to threats. Sharma noted that India saw a 15 to 20 percent increase in cyberattacks in 2024, but many companies could not expand security teams at the same pace. This has led to stretched workloads, longer incident response times, and higher burnout.
The Sophos Future of Cybersecurity in APJ 2025 report shows that 95 percent of organizations in India face cybersecurity burnout, up from 83 percent in 2024. Smaller companies struggle more because hiring skilled talent is costly.
Industry Initiatives to Build Skills
Industry bodies are promoting training programs and competency frameworks. In July, the Data Security Council of India partnered with Kindryl Foundation to create an advanced skilling center in Mumbai. The government has launched initiatives like Cyber Surakshit Bharat and is creating training centers to build a larger skilled workforce.
Organizations are reskilling IT staff and sponsoring global certifications. Over 200 institutes offer BTech and MTech programs in cybersecurity. The Information Security Education and Awareness project is training nearly 180,000 engineers through 51 institutes. AICTE introduced a new cybersecurity curriculum in 2024-25, and UGC launched undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Role of AI in Cybersecurity
AI is helping organizations manage the skill shortage. Sophos reports that 97 percent of Indian organizations use AI tools like ChatGPT and co-pilots. AI helps triage incidents and respond faster. IBM also found that AI and automation help teams detect and contain breaches more efficiently.
Raj Babu, CEO of Agilisium, said agentic AI can handle repetitive tasks like log analysis, alert triage, and vulnerability checks. This allows professionals to focus on strategic planning, complex incident response, and proactive threat hunting. Godse explained that AI also reduces administrative burdens.
Limitations and Risks of AI
AI cannot yet handle all complex tasks. Godse noted that issues like processing delays, token limits, and costs restrict its use. Lucia Stanham of CrowdStrike warned that attackers could exploit AI systems through adversarial attacks.
Despite limitations, AI is showing promise. Google’s AI agent detected a critical vulnerability in the SQLite database engine last November, allowing it to patch the flaw before exploitation. Babu said AI works tirelessly and responds faster than humans. He predicts that cybersecurity professionals will shift focus from real-time incident handling to designing and refining AI systems.
Godse believes AI reliability is improving. He added that if organizations create frameworks for secure, private, and well-governed AI, trust in AI to close the skill gap will grow.
Also read: Government Disunity Hampers Effective Response to Lotte Card Breach in Korea
