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Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team has warned banks and critical infrastructure operators about AI-powered cyberattacks that could compromise banking information, digital payments and essential services. It has urged stronger authentication, network protection, monitoring and incident response measures.
Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (National CERT) has warned banks, financial institutions and critical infrastructure operators about emerging artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled cyber threats that could disrupt digital services, manipulate banking information and compromise essential industrial operations.
In an advisory issued on November 6, National CERT said cybercriminals were increasingly using AI-powered bots, botnets and automated tools to identify system vulnerabilities, steal credentials and launch coordinated attacks at greater speed and scale.
According to Profit, potential targets include core banking systems, digital payment platforms, application programming interfaces (APIs) and customer-facing applications. One major concern is the possibility of attackers manipulating account balances displayed to customers without changing the underlying financial records. The advisory warned this could create panic and undermine confidence in banking services.
Other possible indicators of cyber intrusions include repeated failed login attempts, unusual API activity, unauthorised system changes, irregular transactions and discrepancies between banking records and customer-facing information.
The warning also extends beyond financial services. Oil and gas facilities, power networks, water utilities, manufacturing plants and transport systems could face risks through insecure remote access, connected devices, industrial control systems and third-party service providers.
A separate report by Dawn highlighted the potential consequences for operational technology (OT) systems. National CERT cautioned that vulnerabilities in industrial systems and connected devices could expose essential services to cyber intrusions, warning that “A compromise could disrupt physical processes and critical services.”
To reduce financial-sector risks, National CERT advised banks to strengthen multi-factor authentication, secure payment gateways and third-party integrations, monitor automated login attempts and independently reconcile transaction records.
Critical infrastructure operators were urged to restrict direct internet exposure of industrial control systems, secure remote maintenance connections and separate information technology (IT) networks from operational technology networks. Organisations were also advised to maintain backup procedures, security logs and stronger incident response arrangements.
The advisory further called on organisations to report suspected cyber incidents through relevant national cybersecurity channels and improve their preparedness for automated, AI-enabled threats.
The warning identifies potential attack methods and vulnerabilities; it does not confirm that a Pakistani bank or critical infrastructure facility has been compromised.
