India’s Cybersecurity Ecosystem Scales New Heights: 400+ Startups and 6.5 Lakh Professionals Powering a $20 Billion Industry: Dr. Sanjay Bahl, Director General, CERT-In & Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA) in India
India’s Cybersecurity Ecosystem Scales New Heights: 400+ Startups and 6.5 Lakh Professionals Powering a $20 Billion Industry: Dr. Sanjay Bahl, Director General, CERT-In & Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA) in India
The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), conducted a familiarization visit and interactive session for visiting journalists from the European Union (EU) countries today. The session was chaired by Dr. Sanjay Bahl, Director General, CERT-In and Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA), at MeitY, New Delhi.
Dr. Bahl highlighted India’s rapid emergence as a global cybersecurity hub, driven by more than 400 startups and a skilled workforce of over 6.5 lakh professionals, powering a $20 billion cybersecurity industry. He noted that these innovators are building advanced solutions for threat detection, cyber forensics, and AI-based monitoring systems, reinforcing India’s commitment to a secure and resilient digital ecosystem.
Emphasising the evolving threat landscape, Dr. Bahl observed that Artificial Intelligence (AI) acts as a double-edged sword—enabling both defenders and adversaries. He elaborated on how CERT-In leverages AI-driven analytics and automation to detect, prevent, and respond to cyber incidents in real time, while also developing countermeasures against malicious AI-enabled attacks.
The interaction covered the roles and responsibilities of CERT-In in crisis management, vulnerability assessment, information sharing, and coordinated response to cyber incidents. Dr. Bahl underscored that CERT-In issues timely alerts and tailored advisories to organizations and citizens against emerging threats, ensuring proactive protection without causing unnecessary panic.
The visiting journalists were briefed on CERT-In’s continuous drills, capacity-building initiatives, and international collaborations such as working with National Cybersecurity Agency for France (ANSSI) to publish a joint high-level risk analysis report on AI entitled ‘Building trust in AI through a cyber risk-based approach,’ in collaboration with other national authorities including CERT-In, conducting a drill jointly with the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats and case studies on CERT-In’s initiative to strengthen cybersecurity resilience in Indian cooperative banks as well as safeguard the Indian citizens’ digital devices from bots and malware which were featured in the Global Cybersecurity Outlook January 2025 report by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Dr. Bahl noted that India reported 147 ransomware incidents in 2024, adding that CERT-In’s coordinated actions significantly mitigated their impact through real-time intelligence sharing and forensic interventions.
The session also shed light on CERT-In’s empanelment of auditors, specialized training programmes, and policy support for startups developing indigenous cybersecurity solutions. Through its research collaborations, public–private partnerships, and participation in international forums, CERT-In is building a robust and trusted cyber defence architecture aligned with the vision of Digital India.
The session concluded with an interactive Q&A where EU journalists exchanged views on cross-border cooperation, data security frameworks, and the future of AI in cyber governance.