India Most Targeted by Malware as AI Drives Surge in Ransomware and Phishing Attacks
The report indicates that India accounted for 12.4 percent of all monitored attacks, placing it ahead of every other nation. Analysts attribute this trend to the rising sophistication of AI-powered cyberattacks, particularly phishing campaigns and impersonation attempts that are increasingly difficult to detect. With Windows systems still dominating business environments compared to macOS or Linux, the operating system remained the primary target for threat actors.
Ransomware continues to be the most damaging threat to medium and large businesses worldwide, with newer criminal groups adopting AI to automate attacks and enhance efficiency. Phishing was found to be a leading driver of compromise, making up 25 percent of all detected threats and over 52 percent of those aimed at managed service providers, marking a 22 percent increase compared to the first half of 2024.
Commenting on the findings, Rajesh Chhabra, General Manager for India and South Asia at Acronis, noted that India’s rapidly expanding digital economy has widened its attack surface significantly. He emphasized that as attackers leverage AI to scale operations, Indian enterprises—especially those in manufacturing and infrastructure—must prioritize AI-ready cybersecurity frameworks. He further explained that organizations need to move away from reactive security approaches and embrace behavior-driven models that can anticipate and adapt to evolving threats.
The report also points to collaboration platforms as a growing entry point for attackers. Phishing attempts on services like Microsoft Teams and Slack spiked dramatically, rising from nine percent to 30.5 percent in the first half of 2025. Similarly, advanced email-based threats such as spoofed messages and payload-less attacks increased from nine percent to 24.5 percent, underscoring the urgent requirement for adaptive defenses.
Acronis recommends that businesses adopt a multi-layered protection strategy to counter these risks. This includes deploying behavior-based threat detection systems, conducting regular audits of third-party applications, enhancing cloud and email security solutions, and reinforcing employee awareness through continuous training on social engineering and phishing tactics.
The findings make clear that India’s digital growth is running parallel to escalating cyber risks. As artificial intelligence accelerates the capabilities of malicious actors, enterprises will need to proactively invest in advanced defenses to safeguard critical systems and sensitive data.
