Foreign Illegal Betting Apps Fuel Cyber Warfare Against India Another contributing factor to the rise in cyberattacks in India is the growing unemployment among the youth

In the first quarter of 2024 alone, India lost over INR 1,750 crore to cybercriminals. Cyberattacks on Indian infrastructures are dramatically increasing due to growing digital usage and online gaming.

In a recent report, The Invisible Hand, by PRAHAR revealed shocking projections—by the time India celebrates 100 years of independence, it could be losing INR 17 trillion annually to cyberattacks if the country fails to take proper measures.

"There are two types of cyberattacks. The first involves traditional hackers who exploit vulnerabilities in systems for financial gain or disruption. The second, more insidious form targets citizens, recruiting them to engage in anti-national activities through manipulation, coercion, or threats. Such tactics are most likely to be used on illegal betting apps. This tactic also resembles approaches deployed in Bangladesh, where adversaries managed to turn ordinary citizens into instruments of destabilization, undermining government institutions from within. India's security agencies must thoroughly investigate the prevalence of such possibilities," said Abhay Mishra, National Convenor & President of PRAHAR.

These statistics are alarming, but they reflect a potential reality for India, much like the situation faced by other economic superpowers including the USA, Japan, the UK, France, and Israel, which are constant targets of malicious actors. As India progresses towards becoming a global economic superpower, its rising international status and ongoing tensions with neighboring countries (China, Bangladesh, and Pakistan) make it even more vulnerable to cyberthreats. Another contributing factor to the rise in cyberattacks in India is the growing unemployment among the youth. To understand this, the web series Jamtara is a vivid portrayal of how hundreds of young people, in their quest to make quick money, fall into phishing scams in a rural village of Jharkhand. Like this, there are several malicious groups in India and outside India, those are constantly targeting companies and the groups.

In another scenario, foreign-owned online gaming platforms are luring Indian users into illegal offshore betting and gambling platforms, making them more vulnerable to cyberattacks, cyber manipulation, and turning them into tools for cyberattacks and cyberwarfare against India. These sophisticated tactics are becoming a new core form of vulnerability and attack.

According to the report, financial losses incurred by illegal and unsuspecting gamblers could amount to approximately USD 12 billion, with expectations that this figure could double to USD 24 billion by 2033. Additionally, Google search volumes for illegal gambling sites have jumped five to fifteen times higher month-on-month compared to legal domestic platforms.

Further, the report recommends that India adopt cyber-offensive policies, create a Super Cyber Force, and conduct surgical strikes in cyberspace. It also advises strengthening tech infrastructure, cyber skills, authentic digital apps, platforms, and gradually fostering cyber-educated citizens to protect the state and its citizens. "We need to revive community governance to address many of these issues, Informed users are empowered users," Anuj Agarwal, Member Supreme Court Bar Association and Chairman of the Centre for Research on Cyber Crime and Cyber Law recommended.