In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, Indian organisations braced for a digital retaliation. What followed was a threefold surge in cyberattacks — but an unprecedented collaboration between private firms, government bodies, and industry associations kept the nation’s digital backbone intact.
The Retaliation Begins: Cyberattacks Surge Post-Military Strikes
Following India’s military operation against Pakistan-based terrorists in April, Indian businesses faced a dramatic escalation in cyberattacks. Industry insiders estimate a threefold spike in attempted intrusions, predominantly targeting sectors like banking, insurance, and critical infrastructure.
But this time, India was prepared.
Anticipating digital retaliation, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued early advisories, warning of sophisticated threat campaigns. The Data Security Council of India (DSCI) — an industry-led body under Nasscom — stepped in with a first-of-its-kind joint task force, bringing together cybersecurity firms, private enterprises, and government departments. Their mission: intercept threats in real time and coordinate a unified response.
Cybersecurity firms noted that unlike earlier incidents where each company operated in isolation, this time there was real-time threat intelligence sharing. Profiles of known threat actors were continuously updated. Private companies and conglomerates conducted red team assessments, ran phishing simulations, and instructed employees to avoid public Wi-Fi networks and unvetted devices for work tasks.
Prevention by Collaboration: Industry, Government, and Intelligence Join Hands
For the first time, India saw a nationally integrated cyber defence mechanism outside of wartime command chains. The DSCI-led task force helped build a collective shield by leveraging cross-sectoral expertise. Corporates like Tata Steel, whose cybersecurity initiatives predate the conflict, ramped up preparedness through infrastructure audits and digital hygiene enforcement across teams.
“We were not just reacting — we were war-gaming scenarios,” said Sundareshwar Krishnamurthy, cybersecurity leader at PwC India. “Clients simulated breach scenarios and physically audited their vendors. Everyone wanted to know: what’s your Plan B?”
This proactive approach paid dividends. While over 1.5 million cyberattacks were launched by at least seven APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) groups, only 150 succeeded, according to Maharashtra Cyber’s post-incident report. That’s a failure rate of 99.99% — a staggering testament to collective cyber resilience.
Even so, some government websites suffered brief disruptions. But overall, core operations remained unaffected — a stark contrast to past episodes where uncoordinated defence left critical systems vulnerable.
A New Doctrine of Digital Vigilance: What Comes Next?
Industry voices warn that the threat may be evolving, not receding. “The attackers came at us with AI bots. This wasn’t just brute force — it was intelligent, persistent, and machine-driven,” said a senior threat analyst. There’s growing concern that future attacks may pivot from public to private targets, with an eye on disruption over destruction.
Pankit Desai, CEO of cybersecurity firm Sequretek, emphasized the need for permanence in this posture. “My fear is that we’ll forget this playbook in four months. We can’t. The geopolitical pressure points will keep shifting. Cyber preparedness must become muscle memory.”
Internal memos from conglomerates reveal that staff were instructed to use only licensed software, limit work to secured mobile devices, and adhere strictly to zero-trust network protocols.
While the military operation in Pahalgam may have ignited a digital backlash, it also sparked a new model of cybersecurity in India — one that values collaboration over isolation, foresight over reaction, and collective defence over individual silos.
The question now is whether this model becomes the norm — or fades into memory as just another crisis response.