RBI alert on AI-driven cyber risks

New Delhi: RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Friday said the central bank and other banks are alert about emerging cyber risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) agents and are taking measures to identify and plug vulnerabilities in their IT systems.

Referring to reports of AI agents operating in test mode that allegedly attacked banks overseas and stole data, Malhotra said such risks were real but could be addressed by keeping banking systems secure. There are reports that major US banks have detected third-party AI agents inside customer accounts, raising concerns that automated tools could act beyond instructions given by customers.

“Our banks, the government as well as the RBI, we have alerted them, and they are conscious about it and they are taking measures to ensure that such kind of vulnerabilities, wherever they are, are plugged,” he said.

The statement comes in the backdrop of the State Bank of India (SBI) acknowledging suspected exposure of 3,897 customer records with personally identifiable information on the dark web.