Inside India’s Cyberwarfare Front

DECODE THE NEWS

Smoke, Mirrors, and Breaches: What’s Really Happening in India’s Cyber Space

What? 

A digital war is quietly escalating across India’s borders — not in trenches or airspace, but through a barrage of cyberattacks hitting websites, databases, and sensitive systems. After the May terror strike in Pahalgam, Indian institutions were hit by a flurry of Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) and website defacement attacks launched by Pakistan-linked hacktivist groups.

But beneath the chaos, a more insidious threat reveals itself: state-sponsored cyber-espionage groups that don’t seek visibility — they seek access. According to cybersecurity firm CloudSEK, over 100 cyber incidents were claimed in just the last month, but many were exaggerated or symbolic. The real breach? APT36, a Pakistan-based group, attempted to infiltrate Indian defence-linked networks using weaponized phishing campaigns in the immediate aftermath of the terror strike.

Why Is This Important?

Cyberwarfare is no longer just about website defacements or publicity stunts. The Core’s reporting shows that many Indian firms — from tech startups and data companies to infrastructure providers and government agencies — remain soft targets. A 2022 Cisco study found only 24% of Indian organisations are even moderately prepared for cyber threats. Meanwhile, a staggering 36.9 crore incidents were flagged across India in just one year, averaging 11 cyber threats every second. The stakes? National security, consumer privacy, and even critical nuclear infrastructure — all increasingly vulnerable. And here’s the catch: many breaches are never reported. They stay hidden until leaked on the dark web.

How Does This Impact Me?

If you’ve ever shared your Aadhaar, health info, or bank details online — chances are, that data is already in a breach log somewhere. Massive leaks have affected both private and public sector companies in the recent past. Some 81 crore+ personal records tied to Aadhaar and COVID-19 data has allegedly been leaked by hackers in the past. What’s worse: most companies are under no pressure to disclose breaches swiftly. India’s new Data Protection Act promises steep penalties, but enforcement mechanisms are still in limbo. Until then, the silence persists — even as hostile state actors hover over our digital borders, probing for weaknesses.

CORE NUMBER

375

That’s the number of regional trade agreements (RTAs) currently in force globally, according to a World Trade Organisation (WTO) database, with 241 of those signed in the last two decades, according to a Mint analysis. Many of these RTAs are multilateral agreements covering around 5,500 unique country pairings—showing how widely interconnected global trade has become. India is party to 19 such RTAs. The analysis also showed that developed economies on average signed three times more RTAs than developing ones. This comes against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s renewed push for a global trade reset through aggressive tariff threats, targeting even allies like India and the European Union.

India’s Currency Push. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked the government to allow domestic banks and their foreign branches to lend Indian rupees to overseas borrowers, beginning with neighbouring nations like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, Reuters reported quoting sources. The move aims to internationalise the rupee and deepen its role in trade. Currently, Indian banks abroad can lend only in foreign currencies, primarily to Indian firms. RBI hopes this will expand rupee liquidity and reduce reliance on forex volatility. This development comes as the rupee rose for a second session, closing at 85.09 against the dollar amid broader Asian currency gains.

India’s Nursing Brain-Drain? There’s a rising anti-immigrant sentiment in European countries as well as in the US, but despite that, nurses are in demand everywhere. A Business Standard report said that even though there’s a nursing shortage in India, particularly in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, more Indian nurses are going abroad. That’s because Indian nurses receive an almost 5X increase in pay in the West and countries like UAE. Recent reports indicate that, in addition to nursing professionals, Indian accountants are also seeing rising demand in Western countries, particularly in the United States

Weather, Levelled Up! India launched the Bharat Forecasting System (BFS), the world’s highest-resolution weather model with a 6-km grid, powered by the Arka supercomputer at IITM (11.77 petaflops). Developed by Indian researchers, BFS uses data from 40 Doppler radars, set to expand to 100 for more localised and timely forecasts. According to The Economic Times, it outpaces its predecessor, Pratyush, cutting model run time from 10 to four hours. Covering the tropical region (30°S–30°N), it surpasses global models.

IBC Turmoil Deepens. The Supreme Court on Monday paused the liquidation of Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd (BPSL), weeks after rejecting JSW Steel’s $2.3 billion acquisition bid. According to Reuters, this marks the latest twist in a years-long saga that began when BPSL entered insolvency under India’s bankruptcy laws. BPSL’s entire bankruptcy proceeding including the multiple delays and failures under Chapter III of the Indian Bankruptcy Code (IBC), stunned investors and cast doubt on India’s bankruptcy regime. The process has faced repeated delays since JSW’s bid was first approved in 2018. The pause allows time for JSW and BPSL creditors to seek a review.

THE SIGNAL DAILY

Can Dishwashers Revolutionise the Indian Kitchen?

The modern Indian woman is a force to be reckoned with. In the India our parents grew up in, gender roles were clear. The man worked outside the house and brought in the dough. The woman managed the home – cooking, cleaning, and raising the children. But, today’s women do it all: working outside, and inside the house. 

Thankfully, there’s technologies that have made domestic work easier. There’s mops, there’s washing machines, and there’s dishwashers too.

The dishwasher market boomed during the pandemic, but it’s returned to a slow-growing one again.

In the latest episode of The Signal Daily, we’ll learn about the potential of dishwashers in the Indian households. Are dishwashers a solid solution to the modern Indian woman’s woes? 

At The Signal Daily, we don’t do hot takes. Instead, we’ll bring you deep dives into the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of consumer trends. 

The Core produces The Signal Daily. Follow us wherever you get your favourite podcasts. Click here to check out the rest of our work.

PODCAST

On Episode 591 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Vijai Mantri, Co-Founder & Chief Investment Strategist at JRL Money as well as Shankkar Aiyar, veteran economic journalist and author.

• The stock markets rise on macro news, tariff relief

• JP Morgan gives a thumbs up to emerging markets including India against developed markets

• Mumbai sets once in a century record for rains in May as city reels

• Why do India’s urban centres collapse every year during heavy rains

👥 THE TEAM

✍️ Zinal Dedhia, Salman SH, Kudrat Wadhwa | ✂️ Rohini Chatterji | 🎧 Joshua Thomas