Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (National CERT) has warned banks, financial institutions and operators of critical national infrastructure about a growing wave of AI-powered cyberattacks, in a new advisory issued on Friday, November 6, 2026.
What happened?
National CERT issued an advisory titled “Emerging AI-Enabled Cyber Threats Targeting Financial Institutions and OT/Critical Infrastructure”. It says cybercriminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence, automated bots, botnets and agentic tools — software that can carry out multi-step tasks with little human supervision — to find system weaknesses, steal login credentials and launch coordinated attacks.
Key details
- Banks could face attacks on core banking systems, digital platforms, payment gateways and application programming interfaces (APIs), the connectors behind mobile banking apps.
- Potential threats include automated login attempts, disruption of online banking, and manipulation of the account balances shown to customers — a tactic that could cause panic even though the money itself has not moved.
- The advisory also flags risks to oil and gas facilities, power networks, water utilities, manufacturing plants and transport systems, where weaknesses in connected devices, industrial control systems and third-party remote access could disrupt physical operations.
- The advisory does not describe an attack that has already happened at a Pakistani bank or utility; it is a warning about emerging threats.
- For banks, National CERT recommends multi-factor authentication, stronger access controls, continuous security monitoring and independent reconciliation of transactions.
- Critical infrastructure operators are urged to secure industrial systems, restrict direct internet exposure, separate IT and operational technology networks, and strengthen backup procedures.
- Organisations are also advised to review their preparedness against AI-driven attacks, keep security logs and report suspected incidents through the relevant national cybersecurity channels.
What it means for people in Pakistan
For ordinary account holders, there is no need to panic — this is a warning, not a report of a successful attack. It is, however, a reminder to keep multi-factor authentication switched on, use strong and unique passwords, and never share one-time passwords with anyone. Behind the scenes, banks and utilities have been told to tighten their defences as attacks become faster and more automated.
Source: https://www.techjuice.pk/national-cert-warns-banks-of-ai-powered-cyberattacks/
