ISLAMABAD: The threat of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered cyberattacks against Pakistan’s financial institutions and critical infrastructure is increasing, with banks, energy installations, water utilities, electricity networks, manufacturing facilities and transport systems potentially at risk.
According to the advisory, banks’ core banking systems, digital banking platforms, application programming interfaces (APIs), payment systems and customer-facing applications could become potential targets.
The advisory also warns that critical infrastructure faces growing risks from third-party service providers and connected Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
It further calls 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.
Regarding critical infrastructure, the advisory recommends identifying all internet-connected IoT and operational technology (OT) assets and restricting direct internet access as well as third-party maintenance connections.