Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global cybersecurity leader has released its Trend 2025 Cyber Risk Report, offering insights about India’s vulnerability in the face of evolving cyber threats. Findings reveal that India remains one of the most targeted countries globally across all threat vectors, particularly vulnerable to email and malware threats. The report looks at Trend Micro’s telemetry from 2024 to recognize exposures and understand attacker behaviour, enabling the implementation of countermeasures for the year ahead and transforming security from a challenge into a catalyst for innovation and business growth.

Email remains the top attack vector globally, with over 1.49 trillion threats detected. India alone contributed 6.9% of these incidents, underscoring the scale of the challenge. Within Asia, India was responsible for a staggering 23.92% of email-based threats, and a dominant 90.78% in Southern Asia, making it the primary hotspot in the region. In absolute numbers, India recorded over 1.03 billion email threats, reflecting its exposure across industries and the urgent need for improved email security infrastructure.

India remains a top target for cyber threats, ranking 3rd globally and 2nd in Asia with 19.3 million malware detections—accounting for 4.74% of global activity. The Banking, Financial Services, and Government sectors were most impacted, frequently targeted by malware families such as CoinMiner, FakeMS, and Mudyupdate.

With India accounting for 3.36% of global ransomware detections and a staggering 77.68% within Southern Asia, ransomware also remains a major concern in the region. In 2024 alone, 209,000 ransomware incidents were reported, with WannaCry (WCRY) being the most frequently observed variant. The continued success of such older threats points to ongoing gaps in patching and endpoint security across organizations.

Commenting on these findings, Sharda Tickoo, Country Manager for India & SAARC, Trend Micro, said: “India’s growing digital footprint makes it an attractive target for cybercriminals. From ransomware and malware to email threats, attackers are becoming more persistent and adaptive. With AI transforming the threat landscape, it’s crucial that businesses in India recognize the dual-edged nature of these technologies. Now is the time for proactive, intelligence-driven cybersecurity that goes beyond basic defenses.”

Global & regional threat patterns

To lower cyber risk index, trend micro urges organizations to

• Apply the latest patches or upgrading application/OS versions regularly