Cybercrime incidents in India have risen sharply, highlighting the urgent need for greater cyber awareness and resilience. According to the India Cyber Threat Report 2025 by DSCI, the number of cybercrime cases reported on national platforms such as the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) and the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Management System (CFCFRMS) increased to 22.68 lakh in 2024, compared to 15.96 lakh in 2023 and 10.29 lakh in 2022.
The report revealed that the healthcare sector was the most targeted, accounting for 21.8 per cent of all cyberattacks in India, followed by the hospitality sector at 19.6 per cent and banking at 17.4 per cent. These industries are often targeted due to the high value of personal and financial data they hold. The most affected groups included senior citizens, students, and small business owners, who lost money or personal information to phishing, impersonation, and online frauds. With India’s internet-connected population crossing one billion in June 2025, the findings underline the need for stronger digital safeguards and citizen awareness.
Addressing this challenge, NIIT Foundation, in partnership with Cisco, launched the Cyber Suraksha initiative in 2022. Since its inception, the programme has trained over 10 lakh learners across 27 states and five union territories, with nearly 40 per cent of participants being women. Over 7,000 young professionals have already begun careers in cybersecurity. The initiative has also extended its reach to vulnerable groups, including senior citizens, persons with disabilities, frontline workers, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, promoting safer engagement in digital spaces.
Building on this success, NIIT Foundation and Cisco have now introduced Cyber Suraksha Plus, a new phase designed to go beyond awareness and create structured career pathways in cybersecurity. The programme focuses on system protection, ransomware defence, AI-driven security, and cloud protection. It is multilingual and inclusive, aiming to train 27 lakh learners by 2028 to address the talent shortage in India’s cybersecurity ecosystem.
Harish Krishnan, Managing Director and Chief Policy Officer, Cisco Systems, India and ASEAN, said, “Cybersecurity is the cornerstone of digital trust, and safeguarding it is a shared global responsibility. As nations across the Global South increasingly digitise, collaborative capacity-building initiatives like Cyber Suraksha Plus will be key.”
Sapna Moudgil, CEO of NIIT Foundation, added, “Our effort through Cyber Suraksha Plus is to make digital safety a social equaliser. While the programme builds employability among youth, it also supports those often left behind in the digital transformation, such as senior citizens, women, and rural youth.”
With Cyber Suraksha Plus, NIIT Foundation and Cisco reaffirm their commitment to strengthening digital inclusion, expanding India’s cybersecurity workforce, and advancing the vision of a Viksit evam Cyber Surakshit Bharat.
Also read: Viksit Workforce for a Viksit Bharat
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