AI-Driven Threats and Data Privacy: India's Cybersecurity Imperative

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As the digital landscape evolves, cybersecurity is no longer a secondary concern, but a core business responsibility for startups and growing companies. Akshay Garkel, partner at Grant Thornton Bharat LLP, highlights the importance of prioritizing security in the face of AI-driven attacks, stricter data protection laws, and growing user trust expectations. Garkel emphasizes that the most advanced attackers are not human, but AI-driven, which can automate, observe patterns, and scale continuously. Defence must also move to machine speed to keep up. He warns that startups often underestimate the basics, such as weak configurations, poor access control, and unpatched systems, which can lead to breaches. In a cloud-first, API-driven world, the security perimeter has expanded to include endpoints, APIs, vendors, partners, and customers. Garkel stresses the need to understand third-party risk to maintain a secure posture. Digital trust is built when systems authenticate users securely and protect their data consistently. With deepfakes and synthetic identities becoming common, it's essential to prioritize confidentiality, integrity, privacy, and transparency. India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP) forces companies to take responsibility for personal data collection, storage, and movement. Garkel advises startups to understand what personal data they collect, where it's stored, and how it moves through their systems. Consumer-facing and D2C startups face the same risks and responsibilities as larger companies. Garkel emphasizes that scale does not reduce responsibility, and companies must protect personal data to avoid misuse. Securing AI models and training data is not just about cyber attacks, but also about how data is used. Garkel warns that careless data usage can lead to penalties under DPDP, which can go up to ₹250 crore. In the future, both automation and human oversight will be necessary in cybersecurity. Leaders must be disciplined when using AI tools like Copilot or Gemini, understanding where data goes and how it's stored. Garkel's insights provide a clear roadmap for startups and growing companies to navigate the complexities of AI, cloud infrastructure, and data privacy in India.