Cisco Sounds Alarm: Only 7% of Indian Firms Cyber-Ready Amid AI-Driven Threats
A recent Cisco report has raised serious concerns about the cybersecurity readiness of Indian businesses, revealing that only 7% of organizations have achieved a mature level of cybersecurity preparedness. While that marks a slight improvement from 4% last year, the 2025 Cybersecurity Readiness Index highlights a significant gap between rising cyber threats and real-world resilience.
Despite 81% of Indian respondents expecting a cyber incident to disrupt operations in the next 12–24 months, only a minority are adequately prepared. The report reveals that 57% of Indian firms suffered cyberattacks in the past year, with fragmented security systems and complex frameworks hindering effective responses.
AI Adds New Complexity to Cyber Defense
The widespread integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is proving to be both a solution and a challenge. A staggering 95% of organizations experienced AI-related security incidents in the last year. Yet only 66% of respondents believe their employees fully understand AI-related risks, and just 63% are confident their teams grasp how bad actors use AI to execute sophisticated attacks.
Shadow AI—unauthorized use of AI tools by employees—has emerged as another major risk, with 45% of Indian firms lacking confidence in their ability to detect such deployments. Cisco’s Chief Product Officer, Jeetu Patel, emphasized that AI has created “an entirely new class of risks at unprecedented scale,” calling for advanced security innovations to support overburdened cybersecurity teams.
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India Leads in AI-Driven Security Adoption
Amid these challenges, India is outpacing global trends in adopting AI for cyber defence. According to Cisco, 55% of Indian firms have integrated AI into their cybersecurity capabilities, compared to 46% globally. Additionally, 96% of Indian companies use AI tools like GenAI for threat intelligence, ahead of the global average of 89%.
Cisco's Samir Kumar Mishra urged firms to adopt unified, AI-driven platforms and address talent shortages to close the growing readiness gap. “Mitigating risks from unmanaged devices and shadow AI will be critical to safeguarding trust in an increasingly digital world,” he said.
