Airtel and Zscaler Launch Dedicated AI Cyber Threat Research Center for India's Critical Infrastructure
In a significant move to bolster national security, Bharti Airtel and cybersecurity firm Zscaler announced on Thursday the launch of a new artificial intelligence and cyber threat research center. This facility will specifically focus on protecting India's critical infrastructure, marking a strategic expansion beyond traditional enterprise cybersecurity services.
Focus on Essential Sectors
Jay Chaudhry, CEO of Zscaler, explained that while the company already maintains research teams in Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Pune, and Hyderabad supporting global operations, this new center will dedicate specialized resources to identifying threats targeting vital sectors. These include banking, telecommunications, power grids, and other essential services that form the backbone of the nation's economy and daily life.
"So far we have been helping enterprises," Chaudhry stated, emphasizing the shift in focus. "This initiative will now concentrate especially on critical infrastructure because that matters a lot."
Advanced Threat Detection Methods
The research team will employ sophisticated monitoring techniques across both the open web and dark web to detect attempts aimed at compromising infrastructure systems. Chaudhry highlighted several current threat vectors, including:
- Phishing campaigns utilizing fake documents
- Enterprise-targeted job lures designed to infiltrate organizations
- Approximately 1.2 million brute-force attempts targeting Indian digital entities
The center will deploy advanced decoy and honeypot technologies previously used primarily for enterprise customers. These systems are designed to detect malicious activity at early stages and generate warning signals for sensitive networks before significant damage can occur.
Building a Collaborative Security Fabric
Sunil Mittal, chairman of Bharti Airtel, described the initiative as creating a collaborative "fabric" of security by onboarding banks, enterprises, and government agencies responsible for national protection. "More and more people join in, the better and more predictive these patterns become," Mittal explained, highlighting the importance of shared intelligence in combating cyber threats.
Mittal confirmed to TOI that Airtel will contribute part of its internal talent pool to this effort, bringing telecommunications expertise to the collaborative security framework.
Discreet Operational Approach
Regarding transparency and public communication, Chaudhry clarified that the center's objective is not to make public announcements about detected threats. Instead, the focus will be on working directly with appropriate government agencies to take swift, effective action against identified cyber risks.
This approach ensures that sensitive information about vulnerabilities and attack methods remains protected while enabling coordinated responses to emerging threats against India's critical infrastructure.
