96% Indian Firms Hit By Disruptive Cyber Incidents: Cisco
businessworld.in Oct 1, 2026

96% Indian Firms Hit By Disruptive Cyber Incidents: Cisco

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

A Cisco study found that 96 % of Indian organisations experienced a material, business‑disrupting cyber incident in the past year, with over one‑third involving AI‑enhanced attacks. The assessment gave Indian firms an average cyber‑defence score of 66 out of 100, slightly above the global 64, yet only 8 % reached the highest‑performing tier, matching the worldwide share. Security teams remain fragmented: just 40 % operate cohesively, 49 % struggle to present metrics that resonate with senior executives, and 44 % spend more time aggregating data than addressing threats. AI tools have boosted detection and response efficiency for more than 90 % of surveyed practitioners, but only 40 % of firms have deployed AI agents extensively, citing concerns over data exposure and third‑party risks.

💡 Why It Matters

  • · The findings expose a paradox where widespread AI adoption improves defenses, yet organisational silos and limited AI deployment leave Indian firms vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated attacks.