Hacktivist Cyberattacks On India Surged In 2024; 2025 Could Be Worse, Says CloudSEK
Over 4,000 cyber incidents targeted Indian entities over the past year. Hacktivist attacks will continue to escalate in 2025, with newer attack vectors likely to emerge.
Cyberattacks on India are no longer just a game of numbers; they are a loud, coordinated message from global hacktivist groups. A shocking over 4,000 cyber incidents targeted Indian entities over the past year; these attacks weren’t just random disruptions: many were politically motivated, tied to global conflicts, and aimed at India’s digital infrastructure, according to a recent report by cybersecurity company CloudSEK.
Hacktivists targeted organisations that millions of Indians rely on daily, including government agencies, hospitals, IT businesses, and educational systems. The report also warned that as hacktivists improve their methods and adapt, 2025 may witness ever more complex cyberattacks.
Key Findings On India Cyberattacks
Below are the key findings of the CloudSEK report:
Targeted Sectors: Education (32.5%), government (16.7%), technology (9.9%), and healthcare (6.7%) were the most affected.
Most Active Groups: BondowosoBlackHat and Z-BL4CK-H4T led the cyber assault against Indian infrastructure.
Common Attack Types: Website defacement, data breaches, and distributed denial-of-service attacks dominated the hacktivist playbook.
Peak Attack Periods: A massive spike in attacks was observed around India’s Independence Day (August 15-17), with over 200 incidents recorded.
Cyberattacks On India: What’s Fuelling The Surge?
Unlike financially driven cybercriminals, hacktivists are digital activists who attack with an agenda.
CloudSEK’s research found that, in 2024:
65.5% of attacks were linked to support for Palestine, indicating how global geopolitical tensions now spill over into India’s cyberspace.
13.3% were driven by religious ideologies, aiming to fuel existing social divides.
12.6% carried a strong anti-India sentiment, highlighting how cyber warfare is increasingly ideological.
Hacktivists also targeted India for its ties with Israel.
Hacktivist Attacks: Tactics Used
Website defacement was the main tactic employed by hacktivist organisations to disseminate propaganda, while data breaches were used to expose private information and erode public confidence.
Even though they were only ephemeral, DDoS attacks were meant to interfere with critical systems at strategic times.
Hacktivist Attacks: 2025 Projections
Looking ahead, CloudSEK anticipates a continued escalation in hacktivist attacks, with newer attack vectors likely to emerge. With digital infrastructure becoming more critical than ever, organisations must adopt proactive cybersecurity measures, including:
Enhanced threat intelligence and monitoring.
Regular security patching and vulnerability assessments.
Incident response planning and employee awareness programmes.
