Indian financial institutions targeted by AI-driven cyberattacks

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) issued a security advisory on Wednesday, revealing that a hacker group known as "Crafty Falcon" has breached non-banking lending institutions, fintech companies, and cryptocurrency exchanges. The attackers utilized publicly-available AI tools to achieve high-speed automated intrusions. CERT-In described this threat as "ongoing and actively persistent." The agency identified four tools used for the intrusions: ARTEX, PentAGI, Cairn, and CyberStrikeAI.

ARTEX had previously been used in attacks against banks in Korea. CERT-In did not specify who initiated these attacks nor disclose the location of the group’s operations. The agency also did not state whether these attacks were state-sponsored or led, and the identified attack tools are freely accessible online.