CFO Slice

Artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating the scale and sophistication of ransomware attacks against financial institutions, with cybercriminals increasingly using AI tools to automate malware development, enhance phishing campaigns, and exploit vulnerabilities more quickly, according to research from cybersecurity firm Securin. The report found that ransomware activity evolved significantly during 2025, with 7,061 confirmed victims linked to 117 ransomware groups. Financial services firms remained a major target, accounting for 340 confirmed victims, as attackers seek to exploit the operational and reputational pressure caused by service outages, payment disruptions, and customer data exposure. Securin said modern ransomware groups are increasingly deploying double-extortion tactics, encrypting systems while simultaneously stealing sensitive information to increase leverage over victims. Attackers commonly exploit weaknesses in identity and access management, memory-related vulnerabilities, and insecure default system configurations to move rapidly through financial networks. The report also warned that the growing adoption of AI across banking, fraud prevention, customer service, and risk management is expanding the financial sector’s attack surface. AI models, APIs, and automated workflows can introduce new vulnerabilities, while techniques such as prompt injection attacks are emerging as additional threats.