Cyber attacks are no longer confined to stealing data but are increasingly threatening human lives by targeting critical infrastructure, a senior cybersecurity expert has warned. Gaurav Shukla, Partner and Leader for Cyber at Deloitte South Asia, said the growing convergence of Information Technology and Operational Technology has significantly widened the attack surface, leaving sectors such as aviation, healthcare, transport and public utilities dangerously exposed.
"For the past two years, we observed that cyber threats were not limited only to IT systems. They were pervading beyond IT systems, and the perpetrators were targeting more of the critical infrastructure," Shukla said.
He added that rapid digital transformation in recent years had handed attackers far greater opportunity to cause disruption. To illustrate the stakes, he offered a striking example: "If you are driving a connected car on a highway at 120 km/h and suddenly find the steering is no longer in your control, you are not going to be worried about how much money is in your bank account. You are worried about the danger to your life."
Shukla warned that a cyber attack on a medical device capable of altering patient data could prove fatal, while a successful hack on power generation and transmission systems could trigger severe national blackouts.
He highlighted the sheer scale of connected devices as a growing concern, noting that the world's eight billion people are now surrounded by more than 30 billion IoT sensors, meaning each person is in proximity to roughly 3.5 sensors at any given time.
On India's digital progress, Shukla praised the country's Digital Public Infrastructure, widely known as India Stack, describing it as a global benchmark. Deloitte is currently advising around 24 countries on building their own versions of the framework. However, he cautioned that as India Stack expands into education and healthcare, new vulnerabilities emerge at each integration point. With DPI accounting for approximately 80 per cent of India's digital payments in January, its cyber resilience has become a matter of national security.
Shukla also flagged the role of artificial intelligence in amplifying threats. "When AI is used by attackers, the velocity and expansion of attacks increase. Therefore, continuous testing against supply chain issues and AI-related threats is going to be very crucial," he said.
Drawing a distinction between conventional and digital conflict, he observed that while traditional wars are time-bound, cyber warfare is unrelenting and demands constant collaboration between industry, academia and government.
He called for cybersecurity and digital ethics to be introduced into primary school curricula. "Much like you need a language to build a foundation, awareness of cybersecurity and privacy is going to be just as important," he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
