India's Cyber Defenses Weak as AI-Driven Scam Fears Mount: Survey The survey flagged particular concern around email security, with 11% of respondents not enabling MFA on personal email accounts, despite these often being linked to banking, insurance, and social media
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
A majority of Indians remain vulnerable to cyber fraud despite growing concerns over artificial intelligence-driven scams, according to a new global survey.
The Global State of Authentication survey, commissioned by cybersecurity firm Yubico and conducted by Talker Research, found that 68 per cent of Indian respondents had interacted with a phishing message in the past year, with many disclosing personal details. Of those targeted, 34 per cent revealed their email addresses and 32 per cent provided phone numbers, exposing themselves to further risks.
"A cybersecurity gap in India, where individuals are complacent about securing their online accounts and Indian organisations appear slow to adopt security best practices," said Geoff Schomburgk, vice president for Asia Pacific and Japan at Yubico.
Additionally, 83 per cent of Indian respondents said they feared AI could compromise their accounts, reflecting the anxiety that generative AI is making scams more convincing.
Still, reliance on passwords continues, with 59 per cent using them for work accounts and 60 per cent for personal accounts, even though only 39 per cent believe passwords are secure.
MFA adoption uneven
The study noted that 70 per cent of Indians use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for personal accounts, but obstacles remain. About 42 per cent cited unfamiliarity with MFA, 30 per cent said it was too time-consuming, and 18 per cent reported lacking technical knowledge.
The use of device-bound passkeys is slowly increasing, with 22 per cent using them for work accounts and 18 per cent for personal accounts, up from 17 per cent and 11 per cent respectively last year.
The survey flagged particular concern around email security, with 11per cent of respondents not enabling MFA on personal email accounts, despite these often being linked to banking, insurance, and social media.
Experts warn that India's rapid digital adoption has expanded opportunities for cybercriminals and underscored the need for stronger, phishing-resistant authentication methods.
