According to Cisco’s 2025 Cybersecurity Readiness Index, only 7% of organizations in India have achieved the 'Mature' level of readiness required to effectively withstand today’s cybersecurity threats. This is a slight increase from last year’s Index, in which 4% of organizations in India were designated as Mature. This demonstrates that despite a slight improvement from last year, cybersecurity preparedness remains low as hyperconnectivity and AI introduce new complexities for security practitioners.

AI is revolutionizing security and escalating threat levels, with 9 in 10 organizations (95%) facing AI-related security incidents last year. However, only 66% of respondents are confident their employees fully understand AI related threats, and 63% believe their teams fully grasp how malicious actors are using AI to execute sophisticated attacks. This awareness gap leaves organizations critically exposed.

AI is compounding an already challenging threat landscape. In the last year, more than half of organizations (57%) suffered cyberattacks, hindered by complex security frameworks with disparate point solutions. Looking forward, respondents view external threats like malicious actors and state-affiliated groups (46%) as more significant to their organizations than internal threats (54%), underscoring the urgent need for streamlined defense strategies to thwart external attacks.

"As AI transforms the enterprise, we are dealing with an entirely new class of risks at unprecedented scale - putting even more pressure on our infrastructure and those who defend it," said Cisco Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel. "This year's report continues to reveal alarming gaps in security readiness and a lack of urgency to address them. Organizations must rethink their strategies now or risk becoming irrelevant in the AI era."

“As cyberattacks grow in scale and sophistication, the risks now extend far beyond data loss—organizations face operational disruption, damage to brand reputation, and erosion of customer trust. This year’s Cybersecurity Readiness Index reveals a widening gap between the pace of threats and the preparedness of businesses,” said Samir Kumar Mishra, Director, Security Business, Cisco India & SAARC. “To close this gap, organizations must adopt unified, AI-driven security platforms that automate threat detection and response. Addressing the talent shortage and mitigating risks from unmanaged devices and shadow AI will be equally critical to building resilience and safeguarding trust in an increasingly digital world.”

The Index evaluates companies' readiness across five pillars—Identity Intelligence, Network Resilience, Machine Trustworthiness, Cloud Reinforcement, and AI Fortification— and encompassing 31 solutions and capabilities. Based on a double-blind survey of 8,000 private sector security and business leaders in 30 global markets, respondents detailed their deployment stages for each solution. Companies were then categorized into four readiness stages: Beginner, Formative, Progressive, and Mature.

The lack of cybersecurity readiness in India is alarming as 81% of respondents anticipate business disruptions from cyber incidents within the next 12 to 24 months. Further:

To tackle today’s cybersecurity challenges, organizations must invest in AI-driven solutions, simplify security infrastructures, and enhance AI threat awareness. Prioritizing AI for threat detection, response, and recovery is essential, as is addressing talent shortages and managing risks from unmanaged devices and shadow AI.