India’s cyber talent shortage widens while AI threats rise

India is facing a shortage of cybersecurity specialists in emerging areas such as cloud, AI, operational technology and IoT security, even as companies deploy AI systems and prepare for a new generation of machine-speed cyber threats.

The country has around 300,000 cybersecurity professionals, but nearly 19% change employers every year, resulting in the same pool of specialists moving between companies instead of expanding the talent base. Around 39,000 cybersecurity positions remain open despite an annual addition of 40,000-60,000 professionals, according to Careernet’s India Cybersecurity Talent Outlook 2026.