Pakistan’s critical infrastructure, banks at risk from rising AI-driven cyberattacks
- NCERT lists oil and gas installations as potential targets.
- Banks’ core systems could become potential targets: NCERT.
- Advises banks to closely monitor automated login attempts.
ISLAMABAD: Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered cyberattacks are emerging as a growing threat to Pakistan’s financial and critical infrastructure, putting banks, energy installations, water utilities, electricity networks, manufacturing facilities and transport systems at risk of disruption, according to the National Cyber Emergency Response Team (NCERT).
In an advisory, NCERT, which operates under the Cabinet Division, warned that artificial intelligence, automated bots, botnets and agentic tools are increasing the speed, scale and sophistication of cyberattacks.
According to the advisory, banks’ core systems, digital banking platforms, application programming interfaces (APIs), payment systems and customer-facing applications could become potential targets.
Such attacks could disrupt online services and manipulate displayed account balances, potentially triggering confusion and panic among customers.
The advisory also warned that critical infrastructure faces growing risks from third-party service providers and connected Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Vulnerabilities in industrial control systems and insecure remote-access arrangements could expose essential services to cyber intrusions.
The potential targets include oil and gas installations, refineries, pipelines, water utilities, electricity generation and distribution networks, as well as manufacturing and transportation systems.
Citing incidents involving refrigeration and freezer systems at European supermarkets, the advisory highlighted how attacks on interconnected operational systems can produce physical and commercial consequences. However, it clarified that the involvement of AI in those particular European incidents has not yet been confirmed.
The NCERT recommended that financial institutions closely monitor automated login attempts, repeated authentication failures, unusual API requests, changes in application configurations and abnormal transaction patterns.
Banks have also been advised to watch for discrepancies between core banking records and customer account balances, as manipulation of displayed balances could undermine public confidence in digital banking services.
For the energy and industrial sectors, the advisory recommended monitoring unusual changes in refinery operations, pipeline systems, electricity grids and power-sector operating parameters.
It further called for comprehensive security reviews of core banking systems, APIs and payment gateways, alongside integrity checks to ensure consistency between customer-facing applications and core banking records.
Financial institutions have been urged to conduct independent transaction reviews and closely monitor bot-driven activities and suspicious automated attempts to access their systems.
Regarding critical infrastructure, the advisory recommended identifying all internet-connected IoT and operational technology (OT) assets and restricting direct internet access as well as third-party maintenance connections. It also stressed the need to implement segmentation between operational technology and information technology (IT) networks and ensure continuous monitoring of connected systems.
Organisations have been advised to regularly install security updates, maintain alternative operating procedures and assess their preparedness to counter AI-enabled, bot-driven cyberattacks.
The advisory further recommended strengthening incident-response mechanisms, business continuity arrangements and security monitoring capabilities to minimise disruption in the event of a cyber incident. Organisations have also been directed to maintain security logs and report suspicious activities and incidents to the relevant authorities.
