• Mohammad Naeem Kanyar

India’s expansion of digital payments, online public services, cloud platforms, mobile applications, and data-driven business operations has increased the importance of cybersecurity and data protection. These systems create substantial benefits but also expose individuals and organizations to phishing, financial fraud, identity misuse, ransomware, unauthorized access, and personal-data exposure. This paper presents a structured narrative review of official Indian publications, statutory materials, recognized security frameworks, and selected academic literature. To ground the analysis in official evidence, it examines National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) figures for registered cybercrime cases during 2020–2024. The number of cases increased from 50,035 in 2020 to 52,974 in 2021, 65,893 in 2022, 86,420 in 2023, and 101,928 in 2024, an increase of approximately 103.7% across the five-year series. These figures measure registered cases involving communication devices as a medium or target; they do not represent all cyberattacks or data breaches. The review identifies five priorities: stronger identity and access management, lifecycle protection of personal and organizational data, faster detection and response, improved security capacity among smaller organizations, and measurable implementation of legal and governance obligations. It proposes a risk-based framework that combines governance, asset identification, prevention, monitoring, incident response, recovery, and privacy-by-design practices. The paper concludes that India’s cybersecurity resilience depends on sustained implementation, institutional coordination, responsible data handling, and transparent evidence about incidents and outcomes.

Cybersecurity, data security, India, cybercrime, data protection, digital privacy, CERT-In, NCRB, risk management, incident response.

"Cybercrime Trends and Data Protection in India (2020–2024)", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 10, page no.b773-b778, October-2026, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2610178.pdf

"Cybercrime Trends and Data Protection in India (2020–2024)", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 10, page no. ppb773-b778, October-2026, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2610178.pdf