As tensions rise in the Middle East, Indian companies are tightening their cyber defences, and NASSCOM warns that geopolitical crises can trigger cyber threats and disinformation.
The warning comes as organisations are already grappling with a surge in artificial intelligence-driven threats, including deepfakes and identity attacks.
NASSCOM has issued an advisory to member companies urging heightened vigilance as the geopolitical situation in parts of the Middle East evolves.
“While business operations currently remain stable, organisations are proactively reviewing contingency plans and strengthening resilience measures to mitigate potential disruptions should the situation evolve,” the advisory said.
Companies with operations or employees in the region are activating business continuity plans to ensure uninterrupted services. Measures include enabling work-from-home arrangements for employees in affected areas and monitoring the situation closely to ensure staff safety.
Technology firms are also reviewing the resilience of cloud and data infrastructure. Some are evaluating alternate routing options for cloud services and data centres to ensure that critical systems remain operational even if regional disruptions occur.
Travel advisories have also been issued internally. Because the Middle East is a major international transit hub, companies are advising employees to limit non-essential travel through the region and consider alternate routes where necessary.
Alongside operational preparedness, cybersecurity has become a central concern. Nasscom warned that periods of geopolitical uncertainty frequently coincide with coordinated cyber threats, infrastructure targeting and disinformation campaigns.
Companies have been asked to prioritise credential resets across organisations, accelerate patching of critical software vulnerabilities and enforce multi-factor authentication on all external access systems, including virtual private networks and cloud administration tools.
These precautions come at a time when organisations are already dealing with increasingly sophisticated digital threats.
According to the 2026 Thales Data Threat Report, 65% of organisations in India reported experiencing deepfake-driven attacks, while 55% reported damage from AI-generated misinformation or impersonation campaigns.
The report also found that credential theft is the most common attack method targeting cloud infrastructure, cited by 68% of organisations in India that experienced cloud attacks.
“The rapid adoption of AI is driving a surge in next-gen cyber threats, particularly deepfakes,” said Ankur Kanaglekar, Vice President – India at Thales. “When identity governance, access policies, or encryption frameworks are weak, AI can amplify those weaknesses across corporate environments far faster than any human ever could.”
As companies expand the use of artificial intelligence across operations, analysts say many organisations still lack full visibility over their data. Only 35% of organisations in India know where all their data resides, according to the report.
With geopolitical tensions adding another layer of risk, industry bodies say companies are now focusing on strengthening resilience across both physical operations and digital systems.