Strengthening India’s critical infrastructure against persistent cyberattacks and espionage campaigns must be at the forefront of the country’s 2026 cybersecurity agenda, according to Kaspersky GReAT.
Expert from the global cybersecurity and digital privacy company warns that Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) in India will be shaped by geopolitical and cross-border tensions as well as the ongoing expansion and digitalization of the country’s India’s operational technology and critical systems.
“Ongoing regional tensions, hybrid warfare, and ideological hacktivism will continue to fuel both state-sponsored APTs and non-state threat actors, amplifying conflicts via digital means. Next year, geopolitics will remain the key driver for APT attacks, more destructive attacks like defacement, data leak, ransomware with politicized messaging, DDoS, and possibly more cyber operations tied to diplomatic incidents,” explains Saurabh Sharma, Lead Security Researcher for GReAT at Kaspersky.
With India’s continued push to go digital, highlighted by developments like DPI (Digital Public Infrastructure), Sharma also highlighted the need to augment legacy security with intelligence-backed cybersecurity defenses to combat damaging threats on national infrastructure and critical systems in the country.
Kaspersky expert explained that critical infrastructure like power, utilities, transport, and smart cities, as well as governmental institutions and services are increasingly becoming connected and digital, but sometimes with weak legacy security. And while India’s digitalization efforts are efficient and needed, it expands the attack surface for threat actors, which will naturally lead to more APT campaigns aiming at disruption, not just espionage or exfiltration.
“In 2026 and beyond, we’re looking at possible interference with electricity and water supplies, transport or geopolitical aftermaths, and even supply chain sabotage. India’s critical infrastructure is the backbone of its economy and public safety. As IT and OT systems converge, the role of advanced threat intelligence and integrated SOCs becomes vital to ensuring operational continuity and safeguarding national interests,” he adds.
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