An Expert's Urgent Warning
When Sachhin Gajjaer speaks about digital security, people listen. As the founder and Group CEO of Sattrix Group, a firm specialising in cybersecurity, he has spent over two decades on the front lines of information security. His career includes impactful
roles at major corporations like Microsoft and Accenture before he founded Sattrix to help businesses shield their most critical digital assets. Gajjaer's recent emphasis on the need for 'resilience' is not just business talk; it is a crucial warning about the foundation of India's modern economy. His perspective is shaped by a deep understanding of the complex threats facing our increasingly digital nation, from hacking and data breaches to infrastructure failure.
What Are 'Connected Services'?
The term 'connected services' refers to the vast web of digital platforms that have become integral to daily life in India. Think of the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) like Aadhaar, which has enrolled over 1.3 billion residents, and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which processes billions of transactions monthly. But it extends far beyond that, encompassing everything from e-governance portals and online banking to smart city grids, connected vehicles, and the backend systems for healthcare and logistics. These services are the digital equivalent of highways and power grids, forming the backbone of commerce, communication, and public administration. Their seamless operation is what enables everything from a small vendor accepting a QR code payment to the government distributing welfare benefits directly to citizens.
The Growing Fragility of Our Digital World
The convenience of this digital ecosystem comes with significant risk. India's critical infrastructure has seen a spike in cyberattacks, with state-sponsored groups and criminal organizations actively targeting essential services. A report highlighted that malware incidents in India surged from 5 million in 2021 to 53 million in 2024, a more than tenfold increase. The threats are diverse. They include ransomware attacks that can paralyze hospital systems, phishing scams aimed at stealing financial data, and Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks designed to overwhelm and crash government websites. Beyond malicious attacks, the system is also vulnerable to physical disruptions like power outages, natural disasters, and even software glitches that can cause widespread chaos. As India's reliance on these platforms deepens, the potential impact of a single point of failure grows exponentially.
Why Resilience Is More Than Just Security
This is where the concept of resilience becomes vital. It is a step beyond traditional cybersecurity, which focuses on preventing attacks. Resilience is about designing systems that can withstand a crisis and recover quickly. S. Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), recently echoed this sentiment, stating that systems must remain operational despite cyberattacks. Resilience means having backups for data, alternative power sources for data centres, and protocols that allow services to continue functioning even if one part of the network is compromised. It's the ability of the UPI network to stay online even if one bank's servers go down, or for a city's traffic management system to keep running during a major power fluctuation. Without this, the 'ease of living' promised by digitization could quickly become a source of national vulnerability.
The Path to a Stronger Digital India
Building a resilient digital India requires a concerted effort from both the public and private sectors. Experts like Gajjaer advocate for AI-enabled cyber resilience solutions that can predict and counter threats proactively. The government is also taking steps through initiatives like the Cyber Surakshit Bharat program and the establishment of CERT-In, which works to coordinate responses to cyber incidents. Key strategies include investing in robust and decentralized infrastructure, promoting stronger cybersecurity hygiene among businesses and the public, and developing indigenous technologies to reduce reliance on foreign hardware and software. Ultimately, the goal is to create a digital ecosystem where trust is built into the design, ensuring that the services millions of Indians depend on are not just innovative, but also fundamentally secure and dependable.
