India faces spyware storm: Cyberattacks on enterprises soar 273% in 2025

The enterprises across India see massive rise in stealthy data theft attempts as Kaspersky warns of growing spyware sophistication

Indian enterprises are witnessing a sharp escalation in spyware activity, with detections more than tripling in the first half of 2025, according to new data from Kaspersky. Between January and June this year, the cybersecurity firm’s enterprise solutions blocked over 2.18 lakh spyware attacks, marking a 273% surge from 58,578 incidents recorded in the same period last year.

Unlike conventional malware, spyware silently infiltrates systems to track user activity and extract sensitive data, including credentials, emails, and financial information. The proliferation of commercial spyware, often disguised as legitimate monitoring software, has blurred the line between lawful surveillance and cyber intrusion—enabling threat actors to remotely monitor calls, messages, and locations through zero-click exploits.

Corporate data becomes the prime target

In India, experts note that the surge in spyware reflects a strategic shift by attackers toward corporate data theft. “Spyware is increasingly targeting corporate India because that’s where the data goldmine lies—sensitive deals, financial flows, and intellectual property,” said Jaydeep Singh, General Manager for India at Kaspersky. He added that India’s fast-growing ecosystem of multinationals, startups, and fintech firms offers a lucrative target for cybercriminals and state-backed actors alike.

Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team recently developed advanced forensic techniques to detect traces of high-end spyware such as Pegasus, Reign, and Predator, by analyzing system shutdown logs and other hidden artifacts. Singh stressed the importance of threat intelligence and proactive defense, warning that evolving spyware campaigns exploit both cutting-edge vulnerabilities and legacy systems.

As spyware operations grow more sophisticated, experts urge Indian organizations to prioritize visibility, patch management, and endpoint monitoring to counter the rising tide of covert surveillance attacks.