New Delhi, September 12: Artificial intelligence-powered crime, ransomware and cross-border cyber fraud are emerging as major cybersecurity challenges for BRICS countries as digital threats increasingly move across borders within seconds.
With India placing cybersecurity and trustworthy information and communication technology prominently on its BRICS 2026 agenda, the focus is shifting towards stronger international cooperation against threats that individual countries may struggle to tackle alone.
Three Major Cybersecurity Concerns
The first challenge is the growing use of AI-powered cybercrime. Deepfakes, voice cloning, automated phishing and increasingly sophisticated social-engineering techniques can make fraudulent communications more convincing while reducing the time and resources required to conduct attacks.
The second is borderless cyber fraud. A victim may be located in India, the criminal operating from another country, the infrastructure hosted in a third jurisdiction and stolen money moved through overseas bank accounts or cryptocurrency wallets.
The third concern is the growing exposure of critical infrastructure. Banking systems, digital payments, telecommunications, energy, transport and government networks are increasingly important targets because disruption can have consequences far beyond individual organisations.
Cybercrime Is Outpacing Traditional Jurisdictions
Modern cybercrime networks can simultaneously exploit multiple countries, digital platforms, mule accounts, virtual assets and encrypted communication channels.
This creates a major challenge for investigators working within national legal and jurisdictional boundaries. By the time authorities identify an attack, evidence or stolen funds may already have moved through several countries and digital systems.
For BRICS countries, stronger CERT-to-CERT coordination, real-time threat-intelligence sharing, digital-evidence cooperation, joint cyber exercises and coordinated investigations could become critical tools in addressing these threats.
AI Is Both a Threat and a Defensive Tool
Artificial intelligence has added another layer to the cybersecurity challenge.
Generative AI can help criminals create convincing fake identities, clone voices, produce deceptive messages and potentially automate parts of cyberattacks. At the same time, the same technology can support defenders by identifying fraud patterns, detecting unusual network activity, analysing malware and accelerating threat-intelligence analysis.
This creates a dual challenge for BRICS: countries must secure AI systems while also using AI to strengthen the security of their increasingly digital economies.
India Has a Key Role to Play
India’s large digital-payment ecosystem, expanding technology sector and experience in tackling cyber-enabled financial fraud give it an opportunity to play a significant role in shaping greater cybersecurity cooperation within BRICS.
However, the effectiveness of such cooperation will ultimately depend on what happens beyond diplomatic declarations. Cyber incidents often require rapid coordination while an attack is still underway, making operational mechanisms and established communication channels particularly important.
Proposal for Conducting Cyber Crisis Drill, Tabletop Exercise (TTEx) & CCMP Readiness Exercise
The Real Test Will Come During a Cyberattack
A declaration of cooperation alone cannot stop ransomware campaigns, deepfake-enabled fraud or international cybercrime networks.
Countries will need mechanisms that allow investigators, cybersecurity agencies and incident-response teams to exchange information quickly, preserve digital evidence and coordinate action when an attack crosses jurisdictions.
The Warning Is Clear
The next major attack against a country may not begin with a conventional weapon. It could start with malicious code, a deepfake, a compromised account or a single deceptive click.
Cybersecurity is therefore no longer only an IT concern. For increasingly digital economies, it has become a matter of economic security, national security and global security.
What This Means For You: Cross-border cybercrime means a scam or cyberattack can involve infrastructure and criminals located far beyond the victim’s country. Individuals and businesses should therefore treat deepfake calls, unexpected payment requests, suspicious links and unusual account activity as serious security risks, even when the communication appears highly convincing.
The420 Insight: The biggest challenge for BRICS will be turning cybersecurity cooperation into rapid operational action. Shared threat intelligence, faster digital-evidence requests and coordinated responses could determine whether countries can disrupt a transnational cybercrime operation before stolen data, money or access moves beyond reach.
About the author — Ananya Aradhya writes on cybercrime, fraud, scams, cybersecurity, digital safety, and emerging threats. Her work also covers major criminal cases, financial frauds, consumer scams, and stories that highlight risks affecting people in the real and digital world.
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