New Delhi: India's cybersecurity agency, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), has issued a warning that advances in artificial intelligence are pushing cyberattacks into a new phase, with automation and scale bringing them firmly into the spotlight.
AI-Driven Threats on the Rise
In an advisory, CERT-In stated that frontier AI systems are now capable of autonomously identifying software vulnerabilities, analyzing large volumes of source code, and launching complex, multi-stage attacks with minimal human intervention. These systems can chain exploits across multiple systems, allowing attackers to compromise enterprise networks end-to-end, noted the agency.
The agency said this represents a shift from traditional cyber threats, which typically required specialized skills and manual execution. AI-driven automation significantly lowers the barrier for attackers, while increasing the speed, precision, and reach of attacks.
Risks for MSMEs
The alert highlights growing risks for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which often lack advanced cybersecurity infrastructure. CERT-In has advised such firms to deploy threat detection tools, ensure continuous monitoring of networks, and maintain detailed logs for forensic analysis.
Need for Timely Action
It also stressed the need for timely vulnerability disclosure and patch management, noting that delays could leave systems exposed as AI tools accelerate the discovery of weaknesses. Organizations are urged to adopt proactive cybersecurity measures to counter the evolving threat landscape.
