India Must Build Resilient Software And Hardware Systems To Withstand Cyber Threats: MeitY Secretary
New Delhi: India needs to create strong and reliable software and hardware systems that can continue working even during cyber attacks. This flexibility is important to support daily life and make it easier to do business as the country becomes more digital, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary S. Krishnan said on Monday.
Addressing the launch of the Digital Threat Report 2025-26: From Frontline Intelligence to Collective Foresight, Krishnan said: “We must ensure that overall digital governance, including AI governance, gives due priority to both cybersecurity and operational resilience. Ultimately, we must create resilient systems, both in terms of software and hardware, that can continue to operate despite cybersecurity threats, because therein lies the essence of ease of living and ease of doing business.”
Emphasizing the importance of cyber security, Krishnan said that digitalization provides significant benefits by reducing friction in transactions, accelerating transactions and making life easier. He also stated that these achievements also bring cyber risks to the fore, making cyber security one of the most important concerns if the country wants to preserve the benefits of digitalization. He said cyber threats operate on three levels. At the individual level, cybercrime can cause financial and reputational losses. At the organizational level, ransomware and other malicious attacks may attempt to disrupt operations.
At the national level, cyberattacks are targeting governments and government infrastructure, and at this scale “they are almost escalating into war.” Krishnan said different arms of the government have different responsibilities in combating cyber threats. While the Ministry of Home Affairs deals primarily with cybercrime affecting individuals, protecting government infrastructure and national security involves multiple agencies, with MeitY and the Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In) playing key coordination roles. Artificial Intelligence (AI) creates new cybersecurity risks, but it also enables defenders to more effectively counter attacks from malicious actors, Krishnan said.
He said using artificial intelligence effectively and acting faster will be critical to strengthening the country’s cyber defenses. He also emphasized that awareness and constant vigilance remain the foundation of an effective cybersecurity framework. “I think it’s important that this report and its contents highlight that awareness is a critical element, that people are repeatedly reminded that they need to take action on this issue, that this is something they should not lose focus on, and that constant vigilance is the fundamental principle of cyber security. Therefore, we must treat cyber security as an enterprise-wide risk system that must be constantly protected,” he said.
Krishnan also emphasized the need to strengthen identity and access management to secure digital accounts and systems. He also called for the development of indigenous artificial intelligence and cybersecurity capabilities, including models, data, infrastructure and technological capacity. “In this particular area, there is no option but to build local capacity,” he said. Congratulating the organizers for launching the Digital Threat Report 2025-26, Krishnan said the publication aims to encourage businesses and organizations across the country to examine their findings, identify cyber threats related to them, stay alert and strengthen resilience, thus ensuring business operations continue without disruption despite evolving cyber threats.
