It may not be a sophisticated cyberattack that sets off a data breach. Often the case that a company or other organisation's information is leaked is a combination of weak access policies and systems being incorrectly set up, or credentials being leaked and used by outsiders, or security gaps through external service providers.
A company or organisation may not detect a leak of information until another party comes forward to report the matter. They may even be unaware of it.
The Indian digital environment is changing rapidly with more individuals preferring to get their services delivered online. This growing reliance on digitised platforms opens up concerns regarding how the privacy of individuals and the secrecy of businesses are being handled. Government offices, banks, hospitals and private sector companies keep huge volumes of data running on interconnected digital systems. As such systems develop further, the risk of a security hole increases.
Public data breach statistics and suspected cases of information leaks reported from India point out the real challenges organisations have with their security systems. They must not be content with just the basics, but also be more thorough at examining where information is being allowed, with whom information is being shared, and who exactly is managing the information in which ways.
India's Growing Cybersecurity Incidents Raise Data Security Concerns
The amount of cyber security activities reported in India has surged in recent years. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, through a report shared, stated that CERT-In reported cyber attacks of 15,92,917 incidents in 2023, 20,41,360 in 2024 and 29,44,248 in 2025.
These numbers indicate the general nature of the incident without going into specifics on data breaches hence no conclusions can be drawn as to the real cases of breaches, however, they do depict the increasing number of cases that agencies and governments would have to keep up monitoring as well as responding.
Apart from this, the Government has come up with various plans to better prepare the country for cyber security issues, CERT-In also issues alerts and advisories, manages incident response and gives guidance to organizations that have been affected by cyber incidents.
More than having security systems that protect you, businesses should know how to recognize a crisis quickly, how to get a handle on its impact, and how to respond appropriately. Organizations must also have processes in place to find their vulnerabilities so that such weakness does not result in a broader incident.
Third-Party Security Alerts Are Bringing Data Exposure Into Focus
It is quite challenging when organisations sometimes overlook data leakage and it takes external researchers, providers of threat intelligence, cybersecurity agencies or other third parties who notice suspicious activities or information appearing in unauthorised locations.
Recently, an instance has been made visible where the leaked data of the customers of the State Bank of India got exposed and the bank received external alerts about a suspected data exposure and they started to probe the situation. It was said the customer information was part of the exposure, but the bank's probe and the precise nature & scale of the incident, shall be distinct from the allegations made by external agencies.
Here is a valuable point which is worth considering while making policies regarding alert handling by the organisation: external alerts help the organisation identify a problem at an early stage but they can never fully be relied upon without a thorough investigation and it is important to differentiate the source of external and internal confirmation.
The companies should have well-defined systems of alerts validation, identification of affected systems& data, evaluation of possible consequences, and finalizing required actions. The risk of having only an outside party identify the situation is that the company may get only minimal opportunity for figuring out what they have to do after the identification of a problem.
Common Causes Behind Data Leaks in Indian Organisations
Data breaches can occur multiple ways and not necessarily by an attacker breaking through the security system.
It is also possible that vulnerabilities within common business procedures may expose information to the wrong people.
The most common reasons are:
Insecure configuration: A cloud storage, database or application might get set in such a way which gives a third party access to the information.
Hacked credentials: The use of hijacked usernames, passwords or access tokens by unauthorized users to gain access via legitimate accounts could be an incident.
Over privileged users: Employees or outside users have the rights to access data that has already been determined as not required for their tasks.
Outsourced risks: There is a possibility that a company relies on an external company or provider whose systems or security practices might bring in additional hazards.
Accidental sharing of information: A document can be sent by an organisation to a wrong contact person, published through publicly accessible links or being stored in locations where there are no limitations on access.
These examples have to do with the fact that data leaks can happen no matter the company or the technology used. It can happen at any place where data is being stored, retrieved or shared without sufficient monitoring.
Why Third-Party Relationships Matter in Information Security
Modern organizations seldom work with only their own systems. They use cloud computing platforms, software providers, payment systems, consultants and other external companies to do the job of carrying out their daily business activities.
The fact that operations have got the capability of being enhanced through the usage of such relations is a blessing but also an inconvenience which has the potential of making information management a rather complicated issue.
There are so many cases where businesses have efficient internal procedures but a major part of their work is done by third-party suppliers who may be entrusted with handling key information in one way or another for example storage, processing, granting access or even monitoring.
These dependencies are one of the reasons that vendor management plays a big role in information security. Businesses must find out what data vendors can get through, how information is controlled by them, what is the nature of security responsibilities and also how incidents will be reported.
It is crucial to keep these terms up to date. Once a vendor relationship has been evaluated when it was launched, the services, integration and access requirements may change as time goes on and you have to make a new appraisal of what is happening.
The Challenge of Identifying What Information Has Been Exposed
On receiving a notification of a possible breach of data, one of the first questions an organisation will be likely to ask is what kind of information would be impacted.
These systems may comprise various types of company records as well as customer data, personnel files, financial data and highly confidential information. Without any knowledge of the system contents, it would be hard to judge a breach scenario.
This is how sensitive data discovery and data classification complement the wider information management practices. Organisations should know what categories of sensitive data they have and what repositories they use to store them.
EzSecure helps companies locate and identify their confidential information among multiple platforms such as Google Drive, SharePoint, OneDrive and Windows File Servers. It gives organisations an overview of the data across these platforms, and thus enables the teams to find out those records to which extra care is required.
You can find out the details of the sensitive data discovery features of EzSecure along with how the feature assists companies in gaining an understanding of the locations of sensitive information within the organisation.
These measures do not replace incident response, access controls or other safety protocols but they address a very significant question of information management as well as incident investigation: what is the actual sensitive information that the organisation holds?
Practical Steps Organisations Can Take to Reduce Data Exposure
Preventing every possible security incident is not realistic. However, organisations can take practical steps to reduce avoidable exposure and improve their ability to respond when something goes wrong.
Review access permissions: Make sure employees, vendors and other users have access only to the information they need.
Assess third-party providers: Understand how external services handle organisational and customer information.
Monitor security alerts: Establish a process for reviewing alerts from CERT-In, threat intelligence providers and other credible sources.
Review cloud configurations: Check sharing settings, storage permissions and integrations regularly.
Understand the information being stored: Identify sensitive records and review whether they are being handled appropriately.
Prepare an incident response process: Define who investigates an alert, who makes decisions and how affected individuals or authorities are notified when required.
These measures work best when they are part of regular business practices rather than activities carried out only after an incident.
Building Stronger Information Security Practices in India
India's digital growth brings new opportunities for businesses and public services, but it also increases the importance of responsible information management. As more organisations rely on connected platforms and external service providers, the number of places where information is stored and accessed continues to grow.
Government-reported cybersecurity figures, along with reports of suspected data exposures, show why organisations need to take a more active approach to understanding their information environments. External alerts can help bring problems to light, but businesses also need internal processes to verify concerns, identify affected information and respond appropriately.
Strong information security is not achieved through one tool or policy. It requires regular reviews, clear responsibilities, appropriate access controls and a practical understanding of the information an organisation manages.
Ultimately, reducing data exposure begins with knowing what information exists, where it is stored and who can access it. That understanding gives organisations a stronger foundation for managing information responsibly and responding when security concerns arise.
Sources
Press Information Bureau – Government Strengthens Cyber Security Preparedness of Central Government Digital Platforms and Citizen Services
Press Information Bureau – Assistance to States to Tackle Cyber Incidents
Reuters – India's RBI tightens cyber checks on lenders after spate of hacks
The Times of India – Congress pulls up SBI over data breach, seeks accountability
Top comments (0)