Govt directs ministries to bolster cyber defences against AI-driven threats

The latest MeitY advisory calls for immediate security reviews, stronger cyber hygiene, continuous monitoring and workforce training as artificial intelligence reshapes the threat landscape and increases the sophistication, speed and scale of cyber-attacks targeting government systems.

The Central government has asked all ministries and departments to urgently strengthen their cybersecurity frameworks in response to the rising risk of artificial intelligence-enabled cyber attacks. In a fresh advisory, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has instructed government organisations to assess their current cybersecurity preparedness, identify security gaps and implement stronger safeguards to protect critical digital infrastructure from emerging AI-powered threats.

The ministry noted that rapid advances in artificial intelligence have significantly altered the cyber threat landscape, giving attackers access to sophisticated tools capable of launching highly targeted and automated attacks. AI is increasingly being used to generate convincing phishing emails, fraudulent messages, deepfake content and voice clones, making cyber fraud more difficult to detect and prevent.

AI reshaping the cyber threat landscape

According to the advisory, cybercriminals are also using AI to automate reconnaissance activities, enabling them to quickly identify exposed services, insecure application programming interfaces (APIs), weak identity management systems and network misconfigurations. Such intelligence allows attackers to deploy malware and launch coordinated attacks against critical systems within a much shorter timeframe than conventional methods.

The government warned that growing reliance on cloud platforms, digital public services, operational technologies, software supply chains and AI-enabled applications has expanded the potential impact of cyber incidents. It said traditional security measures alone are no longer adequate to counter increasingly adaptive AI-driven attacks. The advisory follows repeated warnings by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the misuse of deepfakes, AI-generated misinformation and digitally manipulated content in financial fraud and other cybercrimes.

Focus on preparedness and continuous monitoring

MeitY has directed ministries to strengthen network monitoring, improve cyber hygiene, enforce multi-factor authentication, update security protocols and enhance their ability to detect phishing, social engineering and other emerging attack techniques. The advisory also stresses compliance with cybersecurity standards, regular security assessments and stronger protection of critical government infrastructure.

To improve long-term resilience, the ministry has recommended continuous cybersecurity awareness programmes and periodic employee training. Supporting the government's approach, former IPS officer and cybersecurity expert Prof. Triveni Singh said AI has become a powerful tool for cybercriminals, making conventional defences insufficient. He advocated greater investment in AI-powered threat intelligence, continuous cyber audits, real-time monitoring and machine learning-driven security capabilities to help predict, detect and neutralise sophisticated cyber threats before they compromise government networks and sensitive data.