Why India Needs More Cybersecurity Experts: The Growing Role of Professionals Like Smith Gonsalves

As India has been experiencing fast digitization, there have emerged numerous opportunities in business and cybersecurity has become an integral part of its digital future. Cyber risks may be presented in many different forms, including ransomware, financial fraud, data breach, identity theft and many others. With increasing reliance of organizations on technology solutions, the demand for competent professionals in the area has grown. However, although India is known to have a big number of IT specialists, cybersecurity has its peculiarities that require specific knowledge and skills from professionals.

Specifically, cybersecurity professionals must be able to master such areas as ethical hacking, digital forensics, threat intelligence, incident response, risk management, cyber resilience and others. Moreover, professionals should be able to bridge the gap between technical knowledge of security and its connection to business and national strategy. The cybersecurity area is constantly evolving, and ransomware groups together with cybercriminals are adopting novel strategies while artificial intelligence is becoming a tool of defenders and attackers at once.

Hence, continuous research and training are crucial.

One professional contributing to this space is , an Indian cybersecurity strategist, entrepreneur, researcher and international speaker. He is known for his work in offensive security, cyber resilience, enterprise security and emerging technologies and has been recognised as one of India’s young Cyber Evangelists and Information Security Professionals.

Gonsalves developed an interest in computers at an early age and entered professional cybersecurity during his teenage years. At 15, he earned the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI) certifications under special age approval. He later achieved the Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) certification at 19 and became a Chief Information Security Officer at the age of 21.

He is the Founder and Director of CyberSmithSECURE, a Cybersecurity firm operating in domains including offensive security, red teaming, Virtual CISO consultancy, risk assessment and cyber-risk management for enterprises. His practical experience includes engagements with firms belonging to different sectors such as IT, banking, automotive, logistics and healthcare. He has also been engaged in investigating cybercrimes, digital forensics and building cybersecurity capabilities.

In addition to his industry engagement, Gonsalves is also engaged in academic research in the area of cybersecurity. He has a PhD that revolves around the concept of counter-adversarial simulation of defensive and offensive systems through stochastic games, Markov chains and game theory. His research interests include adversarial behaviors, ransomware resistance, artificial intelligence and cyber deterrence.

In 2026, Gonsalves was named among the Global 30 Under 30 in Cybersecurity by Top Cyber News Magazine, representing India. Smith Gonsalves’ career trajectory is an example of how the field of cybersecurity has become progressively more multi-disciplinary in nature.

As India keeps developing its digital economy, cybersecurity cannot be left in the hands of just a few experts anymore. More professionals from diverse backgrounds should be trained to address the growing challenge. Researchers, educators and security practitioners, among others, should be added to the existing ecosystem in order to develop the necessary expertise in cybersecurity in India.