Date:
15 August 2025

Location:
New Delhi, India

Article:
The Cyber Security Intelligence Systems (CSIS) has detected a surge in AI-powered phishing attacks targeting Indian users across banking, e-commerce, and social media platforms. According to the CSIS Threat Intelligence Unit, cybercriminals are leveraging generative AI tools to craft highly convincing scam messages, mimicking official communication styles of trusted institutions.

Over the last quarter, phishing incidents have risen by 61% in India, with attackers using deepfake voice calls, AI-generated emails, and realistic chatbots to trick victims into revealing sensitive information such as OTPs, passwords, and bank details.

“The new wave of AI-driven cybercrime is harder to detect because it eliminates the grammatical errors and generic patterns we used to spot in phishing messages,” explained M. Mahir Hussain, Managing Director of CSIS. “This calls for both technological and human vigilance.”

CSIS analysts warn that these campaigns often start with a simple fake delivery notification or bank account alert, leading victims to fraudulent websites hosted on compromised servers. The stolen data is quickly sold on the dark web or used in financial fraud.

CSIS Recommendations:

• Always verify suspicious messages by contacting the institution directly.
• Check for secure URLs (HTTPS) before entering personal details.
• Avoid clicking on links from unknown senders.
• Enable two-factor authentication on all accounts.
• Stay updated with CSIS phishing alerts via csisofficial.com.

With AI-powered attacks becoming a global concern, CSIS is collaborating with law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity partners to develop advanced AI threat detection systems for Indian businesses and individuals.