The Inner Circle
Edition #8: Cyber Security for MSMEs — The ₹20,000 Cr Threat Nobody Is Talking About
Indian MSMEs Lost ₹20,000 Crore to Cybercrime in 2025
Dear Inner Circle,
The number that nobody in MSME policy circles is talking about: Indian small businesses lost an estimated ₹20,000 crore to cybercrime in 2025. Not listed companies. Not banks. MSMEs — the backbone of our economy — being systematically looted through phishing, ransomware, and invoice fraud.
"The biggest threat to your MSME in 2026 is not competition, not credit, and not compliance. It is a 19-year-old hacker in another country with a ₹500 tool."
— Dr. Dibyendu ChoudhuryThe three things you must do this week: Enable two-factor authentication on every bank and GST portal account. Never pay any invoice that arrives by email without a phone confirmation. Back up your data — offline, not just on the cloud.
Read the Full Cyber Security Guide →The Secret of 14 — What the Ramayana's Forest Years Teach Us
Ram's exile was not a punishment. It was a preparation. Fourteen years in the forest, with a wife and a loyal brother, facing asuras and allies, building relationships and crossing oceans — this was not suffering. It was the making of a king who could rule justly.
The leadership lesson I have returned to repeatedly in my consulting work: the greatest leaders I have met all had a "forest period" — years of obscurity, difficulty, or exile before their moment of leadership arrived. The forest is not failure. It is formation.
Read More on the Blog →Reading This Month
The Dark Web: A Web of Deceit — Safe User's Guide
Everything Indian internet users need to know about the dark web — written for non-technical readers.
View on Amazon →
Dr. Dibyendu Choudhury
CEO · CMAC & COWE | Author of 10 Books | MSME Advisor | Vedic Scholar
Until next fortnight — keep thinking, keep building.