We live in a digital-first world where almost every touchpoint with a customer involves collecting some form of personal data—name, phone number, email, or even Aadhaar information. From ordering coffee in the morning to booking travel, watching movies, paying bills, and even accessing medical records, we’re constantly feeding data into a sprawling digital ecosystem.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth—while technology has simplified our lives, it has also created a giant, ever-expanding attack surface for cybercriminals. And what many organizations fail to realize is that their own website might be the weakest link in this chain.

Let’s take a recent example that’s hard to ignore.

A well-known logistics company discovered that hackers had infiltrated their systems and accessed sensitive customer information—including addresses and contact details. The breach only came to light when high-profile clients began receiving eerily accurate, suspicious calls. The callers weren’t just phishing—they knew specific relocation dates and queries. An internal audit later revealed a possible collaboration between employees and external actors. This wasn’t just a tech failure. It was a wake-up call.

And it’s not a one-off case. The last few months have exposed deep vulnerabilities in India’s digital armor:

In early 2024, Hathway, one of the country’s largest ISPs, was breached when hackers exploited vulnerability in its Laravel-based CMS. The data of over 41 million users—including Aadhaar images—was compromised.
Shortly after, electronics brand boAt had a breach affecting 7.5 million users. Their names, addresses, phone numbers, and customer IDs were dumped on dark web forums.
Most shocking of all, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) reportedly suffered a breach compromising COVID-19 test records of more than 81 crore Indians.
The web of digital dependency
Over the years, our websites have evolved from simple “About Us” pages to fully integrated customer engagement platforms. Your local grocery store likely knows more about your eating habits than your physician, thanks to loyalty programs and delivery apps.

Every time we download an app or fill out a form, we leave behind a digital footprint. Think about it: Swiggy for food, Ola for rides, Paytm for payments, 1mg for medicine, Policy Bazaar for insurance, DigiLocker for documents—each service captures a piece of your life.

We’ve handed out personal data so freely that if we sat down to list every platform we’ve shared it with, we’d probably need a spreadsheet. And once it’s out there? It’s as impossible to erase as that college photo you wish you’d never uploaded.

The house of cards
Cybercriminals only need to find one weakness. Just one outdated plug-in, an unpatched form, or a lazy configuration can become a backdoor. Most websites are “black boxes” for users. We click “Accept” without reading anything, trusting platforms with our data more easily than we’d hand over our house keys to a stranger.


Govind Rammurthy, CEO and Managing Director of eScan
That’s why the web services your business runs are often the most vulnerable. And it’s where you should start locking things down.

Regular Web Application Security Testing: Implement regular scanning using Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) tools to check web services for vulnerabilities. These automated tools can identify security flaws in running applications that manual testing might miss.
Terminal Services Protection: Use Terminal Services Protection Modules (TSPM) to ensure that rogue elements attempting unauthorized access via remote access tools are blocked. This is particularly crucial as remote work has expanded the attack surface for many organizations.
SQL Injection Prevention: Regularly scan for SQL injection vulnerabilities. These remain one of the most common and dangerous attack vectors, allowing attackers to directly access and manipulate database information.
Geographic and IP-Based Blocking: Block known malicious IP addresses or countries with a history of cybercrime. Implement geo-blocking and reputation-based filtering to reduce exposure to known threat sources.
Continuous Employee Training: Ensure constant employee education using phishing simulation exercises. Human error remains the weakest link in cybersecurity, and regular training helps build organizational awareness.
Regular Security Audits and Compliance Monitoring: Conduct comprehensive security assessments of your entire digital infrastructure, not just web applications. This includes network security, database security, and endpoint protection.
Incident Response Planning: Develop and regularly test incident response procedures. When a breach occurs, the speed and effectiveness of your response can significantly limit the damage.
The reality check
Cyber attackers aren’t sleeping, and if your IP address is public, you’re already on their radar. But the silver lining? Most attacks are opportunistic and automated. They’re looking for low-hanging fruit. If you’ve implemented even basic protections, you can deter about 98% of these threats.

The cost of doing nothing
India’s average data breach cost hit ₹195 million in 2024—a 39% jump since 2020. That’s not just a financial loss. It’s reputational damage, regulatory headaches, legal consequences, and worst of all, the loss of customer trust.

In a digital economy, trust is everything.

A final word
Digital transformation isn’t optional anymore—it’s how modern businesses survive and scale. But without cybersecurity as a core pillar, transformation becomes a trap. Protecting customer data isn’t a technical task. It’s a business responsibility.

The question is no longer if your systems will be targeted. It’s when. And whether you’ll be prepared when it happens.