India's CERT Runs AI Cyberattack Drill for 55 Financial Institutions amid rising AI based attacks
India's Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) held a full-day cybersecurity exercise and drill for the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector on 27 October 2026. More than 300 officials from over 55 institutions took part, mostly Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative Banks. The drill focused on detecting and countering AI-enabled attacks, including automated discovery and exploitation of vulnerabilities.
NEW DELHI, Oct 29 - India's Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has run a full-day cybersecurity exercise and drill for the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector, citing rising AI-driven cyber risks and targeted cyber campaigns.
Overview
The 27 October exercise brought together more than 300 officials from over 55 financial institutions, mostly Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) and Cooperative Banks, CERT-In said in a post on LinkedIn.
Simulation details
The simulation focused on strategies to detect, mitigate and counter AI-enabled cyberattacks, including the automated and accelerated discovery and exploitation of vulnerabilities.
It also included technical drills and tabletop exercises (TTXs) to test incident response, coordination between institutions and crisis response.
Impact
CERT-In said the exercise was meant to close the gap between risk-management strategy and operational execution, and to strengthen institutions' ability to anticipate, withstand and respond to AI-driven threats.
Smaller lenders such as RRBs and cooperative banks often have fewer in-house security staff and older systems than large commercial banks, which makes them a frequent target for attackers.
Response
CERT-In did not name the participating institutions or describe the scenarios used.