New Delhi, 13 July (H.S.): The Central Government has released the second edition of the Digital Threat Report 2025–26 for the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector and the country's digital payments ecosystem. The report identifies AI disparity and rapidly evolving cyber threats as the most significant risks confronting the financial sector.

The report has been prepared by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in collaboration with the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the Computer Security Incident Response Team for the Financial Sector (CSIRT-Fin), and cybersecurity firm SISA.

Speaking on the occasion, Ministry Secretary S. Krishnan said that as cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated, trusted partnerships between public institutions and industry are essential to strengthening digital trust. He stressed the need for comprehensive preparedness and robust security measures across all fronts. He added that while assisting victims of cybercrime is primarily the responsibility of the Ministry of Home Affairs, issues involving national security and the protection of the government's own digital infrastructure require the coordinated efforts of multiple agencies.

The report noted that six of the seven cyber threat predictions made in last year's edition have already materialised, highlighting that the time between the emergence of a cyber threat and its exploitation has now shrunk from months to merely weeks. It stated that social engineering, credential theft, supply chain compromise, and cloud exploitation have become common attack vectors.

Darshan Shanthamurthy, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of global cybersecurity company SISA, said the BFSI industry is built on trust, and when that trust is compromised, the impact extends beyond a single institution to customers, business partners, and the broader economy.

CERT-In Director General Dr. Sanjay Bahl said that as India's financial ecosystem becomes increasingly interconnected and technology-driven, cyber resilience must be treated as a shared responsibility. He noted that the report provides institutions with a roadmap for continuous risk assessment and coordinated incident response.

A key highlight of the latest edition is the Anatomy of Cyber Failure framework, which explains that modern cyberattacks are rarely the result of a single lapse but instead arise from a chain of interconnected vulnerabilities. The report also presents an 18-month roadmap for the BFSI sector, outlining measures ranging from strengthening foundational security controls to developing sustained capabilities and building more resilient cybersecurity architectures.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar