By Haris Ahmed
The National Cyber Emergency Response Team (NCERT) has issued an urgent security warning following a sharp rise in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated bots by digital criminals. In an official advisory dated November 5, 2026, the state security group stated that hackers are deploying advanced technology to launch faster, larger, and highly coordinated cyberattacks. While the threat applies to all organizations, authorities stressed that financial institutions, public utilities, and critical national infrastructure face the highest level of risk.
According to the security advisory, cybercriminals are using AI, automated bots, botnets, and agentic tools to scan digital networks, identify hidden software vulnerabilities, and run mass password-stealing campaigns. NCERT warned that these new capabilities allow sophisticated hacking groups to significantly broaden the speed and complexity of their criminal operations. The agency emphasized that immediate defensive action is required to prevent widespread commercial and operational disruptions.
For the financial sector, the agency warned that banks could face aggressive strikes targeting core banking systems, digital platforms, payment gateways, and customer-facing applications. Potential scenarios include the sudden shutdown of online banking services, non-stop automated login attempts, and the unauthorized manipulation of displayed account balances. To spot an ongoing attack, banks have been told to closely monitor frequent authentication failures, out-of-the-ordinary transaction patterns, and unusual application programming interface (API) requests.
Simultaneously, the warning highlights severe vulnerabilities within critical infrastructure and utility providers. Hacking groups are targeting third-party service providers, connected internet-of-things (IoT) devices, and insecure remote access tools. A successful breach could expose oil and gas facilities, water utilities, power generation plants, and transportation networks, allowing hackers to physically alter pipeline parameters or power grid settings. NCERT cited recent cyberattacks in Europe that compromised supermarket refrigeration systems as a stark example of the physical consequences of attacking connected machines, though AI involvement in those specific cases has not yet been confirmed.
To counter these automated threats, NCERT has urged financial institutions to immediately review their core security setups, enforce multi-factor authentication, and run constant integrity checks between consumer apps and backend records. For utility and energy providers, the team recommended completely separating operational technology from corporate networks, limiting direct internet exposure for machinery, and continuously monitoring remote access sessions. All organizations have been advised to maintain secure data backups, test their preparedness against bot-driven AI attacks, and establish robust incident response plans to ensure business continuity.
