New Delhi, February 19 – The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has brought about rapid changes in the way the world is functioning. While AI has proven to be a very useful tool in many sectors, there are also negative aspects that terrorists and criminals are exploiting. Security agencies have found that cybercrimes, which are rapidly increasing, are largely driven by AI, but India has mounted a proactive digital counteroffensive against such crimes.
Data show that organizations in the country face an average of 3,100 cyber attacks every week. However, the concern is that cybercriminals are increasingly using AI to stage attacks. Moreover, these criminals have extensively targeted the government and the education sector. It has been found that the education sector is vulnerable due to weak cybersecurity infrastructure. The government is an obvious target, as it stores vast and sensitive information about citizens.
The agencies say that cyber crime and cross-border terrorism remain the biggest threats to national security. Terrorists are using AI to generate propaganda content and also create videos.
On the other hand, cybercriminals have been using AI to identify vulnerabilities in a system at a very high speed. They take advantage of the technology and target the system with ease.
Furthermore, they are also launching simultaneous attacks on multiple organizations using this technology. AI is also helping cybercriminals automate phishing and credential harvesting campaigns. Moreover, these actors are also using AI to generate highly convincing content, which is then used to fuel their propaganda on social media.
An official from the Intelligence Bureau said that the ISI's dedicated desk for cybercrime has been misusing this technology. They have been using AI to generate content aimed at creating tensions in India. This is a major shift, and Indian agencies have plenty of work to do to counter this menace.
The ISI has also identified people in India to create such content and flood it on social media. Posts relating to groups such as the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) or Jaish-e-Mohammad are circulating on social media. A close look at the content clearly shows that the use of AI was very high.
Experts on cybercrime say that the Indian agencies have not been unable to counter this menace. However, the challenge is that AI helps generate and deliver content so fast that it is sometimes difficult to keep pace.
Another official said that due to the use of this technology, cyber attacks have become much faster and more difficult to detect. The urgent need of the hour is a major shift when it comes to dealing with this new problem. Security audits have to be more frequent and training on AI-based threat detection is a must. This is not just for the government, but also for those working in organizations that are vulnerable to cyber attacks, the official also added.
It has also been found that cybercriminals have been using AI for social engineering. Through this technology, they have been gathering and analysing personal information available on social media. AI is then used to predict the victim's behaviour, following which the criminals tailor the scam. In most cases, it has been found that the victims were lured with high paying jobs and then scammed into investing in cryptocurrency schemes.
"The challenge ahead is huge," says an official. "2025 has been a tough year, and there was an estimated financial loss of Rs 20,000 crore due to cybercrime. The biggest incidents of cybercrime include AI-driven phishing, digital arrests, and investment frauds. In addition to these, cyber security officials have found an increased use of AI for deepfakes and social engineering."
India has mounted a multi-layered AI-driven and institutional response to combat the surge in such cases. A cyber security official said that the biggest shift that India has made is to shift from reactive to proactive AI-based defences to battle problems such as deepfakes, financial frauds, and also AI-driven phishing attacks.
