85% of Indian Enterprises Face AI-Driven Cyber Threats: ESET Report Reveals Rising Deepfake Risks

AI-Related Cyber Threat Landscape Intensifies for Indian Enterprises

Indian enterprises are facing an unprecedented wave of AI-driven cyber threats, according to the ESET Enterprise Cybersecurity Report 2026 released in partnership with Blackbox Research. The study surveyed 400 cybersecurity decision-makers across Indian enterprises, including large organizations and SMBs, revealing that 85% experienced at least one AI-related cyber threat in the past 12 months1

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. This alarming statistic comes as nearly all organizations (99%) are already using or piloting AI across functions including customer service, document processing, business analytics, software development, risk management and threat detection1

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AI-Generated Phishing and Deepfake Attacks Lead Threat Categories

AI-generated phishing and impersonation attacks emerged as the most commonly reported AI-related cyber threat, affecting 48% of organizations surveyed1

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. Close behind, deepfake and voice cloning attacks impacted 47% of Indian enterprises, demonstrating how attackers are using AI to manipulate human judgement and target everyday decisions2

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. These sophisticated attacks exploit AI's ability to create convincing, personalized malicious communications that bypass traditional security measures. Parvinder Walia, President of the APAC region at ESET, emphasized that "AI is becoming deeply embedded in how businesses operate. As we give it access to more data and greater influence over decisions, organisations must ensure the right oversight and safeguards are in place"1

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Employee Misuse of Generative AI and Data Leakage Escalate Internal Risks

Internal threats are compounding external attack vectors. Four in ten organizations (40%) reported employee misuse of generative AI, while nearly half (48%) experienced data leakage through AI platforms2

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. The ESET Report highlights a critical visibility gap: only 56% of organizations have implemented measures to monitor AI tool access and outputs2

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. This limited oversight creates blind spots where sensitive data can be inadvertently exposed or misused through AI systems, raising questions about how organizations can maintain control as AI adoption accelerates across business functions.

Delayed Detection and Limited Visibility Hamper Threat Response

Beyond AI-specific threats, 80% of Indian enterprises experienced at least one major cybersecurity incident during the past year, with 44% facing three or more cyber incidents2

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. While 77% of organizations claimed they could detect and respond to threats within 24 hours, delayed detection remained a top challenge cited by 55% of respondents1

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. More than half (54%) cited limited internal resources, while 53% reported limited visibility across environments as key obstacles to effective threat detection2

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. Walia stressed that "in cybersecurity, speed changes the outcome. A threat left undetected for hours can quickly become a business-wide incident"1

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Multiple Vulnerabilities Expose Organizations Across Technology Environments

Cyber incidents among Indian enterprises stem from diverse weaknesses rather than a single dominant cause. Lack of visibility across the IT environment was cited by 42% of respondents as a leading cause of cybersecurity incidents, followed by third-party or supply chain compromise (40%), weak or stolen credentials (38%), and limited security resources (38%)2

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. The findings suggest organizations are being exposed across multiple points of their technology environments, making visibility, people and processes as important to cyber resilience as the security technologies themselves1

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Employee Training Falls Short Despite Widespread Implementation

Although almost all enterprises provide cybersecurity training at least annually, employee awareness and employee training remained among the leading cybersecurity challenges, cited by 45% of respondents2

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. Organizations identified lack of employee engagement (44%) and training materials that are not engaging enough (43%) as primary barriers to improving security behavior2

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. Walia noted that "as AI makes malicious communications more convincing and personalised, organisations need to continuously build employee awareness through relevant training and realistic simulations"1

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Managed Detection and Response Adoption Accelerates Amid Growing Threat Complexity

Managed Detection and Response emerged as the most widely planned cybersecurity capability over the next 12 months, with 84% of organizations currently using or planning to adopt it1

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. Cyber insurance is also gaining traction, with 57% already covered and 32% planning to obtain coverage. However, 97% of organizations reported challenges in obtaining or maintaining cyber insurance, with 50% citing stricter security requirements as a barrier1

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. Despite 95% of respondents expressing moderate or high confidence in their organization's ability to withstand and recover from a cyberattack, repeated incidents and persistent detection challenges suggest this confidence must be backed by measurable capabilities and continuous monitoring2

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