Overview
CERT-In has warned that an AI-driven hacking campaign, which it calls ‘Crafty Falcon’, is escalating against Indian fintech firms. The advisory, issued on Wednesday, November 4, says the threat is active and ongoing. It builds on an October 9 warning.
Key Highlights
- CERT-In issued the advisory on Wednesday, November 4.
- Affected entities include NBFCs, digital lending platforms, payment aggregators and cryptocurrency exchanges.
- The agency’s finance-sector team, CSIRT-Fin, named the actor ‘Crafty Falcon’.
What Happened?
The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) said attacks on BFSI entities have escalated over the past few days. CSIRT-Fin based its findings on incidents reported by affected firms. The agency said the actor used publicly available AI security tools to survey targets, then attacked by invoking the victims’ own payment and disbursement APIs at machine speed.
Why Is It Important?
The campaign hits payment and lending systems directly. By abusing a firm’s own APIs, the attackers use the same channels the business relies on to move money
The advisory says the threat is active, so financial firms are still exposed. The use of publicly available AI tools suggests such attacks do not need specialised resources.
What Happens Next?
CERT-In’s advisory says the Crafty Falcon campaign is ongoing. Firms should consult the full advisory for the agency’s recommended safeguards.
