The National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre in India, an organisation of the Government of India designated as the National Nodal Agency in respect of Critical Information Infrastructure Protection, has identified the following as ‘Critical Sectors’ – Power & Energy, Banking, Financial Services & Industrance, Telecom, Transport, Government and Strategic & Public Enterprises.

All of these, which provide services that are essential to the day-to-day functioning of society, are hives of the most sensitive and confidential data that threat actors can easily be monetised on the Dark Web, driving further cybercrime and disruption.

Unfortunately, the potential for widespread disruption has not gone unnoticed by cybercriminals. In India, close to seven critical infrastructure attacks have wreaked havoc for those within that industry – from the Oil India Limited ransomware attack in April, and in May on grounded SpiceJet flights, leaving passengers stranded for 4 hours, to Goa’s flood monitoring system in June and banking data breaches reported in August to the more recent cyberattacks on the AIIMS healthcare sector and resulting onslaught on Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi, have left authorities understanding the need to prepare for an escalation in cyberattacks in future.

This focus on critical infrastructure is intentional. Cybercriminals are fully aware of the impact that any disruption has on vital services, not just financially but also on public confidence. For example, in utilities, you cannot expect people to be without electricity or water, which means companies are more likely to pay in the event of ransomware.

Hackers are also very observant and will strike during periods of unrest, for example using the ongoing energy crisis as an entry point for phishing or man-in-the-middle attacks.

Another common risk factor among critical infrastructure organizations is that they all have a hig.