#FactCheck - AI-Cloned Audio in Viral Anup Soni Video Promoting Betting Channel Revealed as Fake

Introduction

Autonomous transportation, smart cities, remote medical care, and immersive augmented reality are just a few of the revolutionary applications made possible by the global rollout of 5G technology. However, along with this revolution in connectivity, a record-breaking rise in vulnerabilities and threats has emerged, driven by software-defined networks, growing attack surfaces, and increasingly complex networks. As work on next-generation 6G networks accelerates, with commercialisation starting in 2030, security issues are piling up, including those related to AI-driven networks, terahertz communications, and quantum computing attacks. For a nation like India, poised to become a global technological leader, next-generation network procurement is not merely a technical necessity but a strategic imperative. Initiatives such as India-UK collaboration on telecom security in recent years say a lot about how international alliances are the order of the day to address these challenges.

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Why Cybersecurity in 5G and 6G Networks is Crucial

With the launch of global 5G services and the rapid introduction of 6G technologies, the telecom sector is seeing a fundamental transformation. Besides expanding connectivity, future networks are also creating the building blocks for networked and highly intelligent environments. With its ultra-high speed of 10 Gbps, network slicing, and ultra-low latency, 5G provides new capabilities that are perfectly suited for mission-critical applications such as telemedicine, autonomous vehicles, and industrial IoT. Sixth-generation wireless technology is still in development, and it will be approximately one hundred times faster than fifth-generation. Here are a few drawbacks and challenges:

• Decentralised Infrastructure (edge computing nodes): Increased number of entry points for attack.
• Virtual Network Functions (VNFs): Greater vulnerability to configuration issues and software exploitation.
• Billions of IoT devices with different security states, thus forming networks that are more difficult to secure.

Although these challenges are unparalleled, the advancement in technology also creates new opportunities.

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Understanding the Cyber Threat Landscape for 5G and 6G

The move to 5G and the upgrade to 6G open great opportunities, but also open doors for new cybersecurity risks. Open RAN usage offers flexibility and vendor selection but exposes the supply chain to untested third-party components and attacks. SBA security vulnerabilities can be exploited to disrupt vital network services, resulting in outages or data breaches. Similarly, widespread adoption of edge computing to reduce latency creates multiple entry points for an attacker to target. Compounding the problem is the explosion of IoT device connections through 5G, which, if breached, can fuel massive botnets capable of conducting massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

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Challenges in 6G

• AI-Powered Cyberattacks: AI-native 6G networks are susceptible to adversarial machine learning attacks, data model poisoning, both for security and for traffic optimisation.
• Quantum Threats: Post-quantum cryptography may be required if quantum computing renders current encryption algorithms outdated.
• Privacy Concerns with Digital Twins: 6G may result in creating enormous privacy and data protection issues in addition to offering real-time virtual replicas of the physical world.
• Cross-Border Data Flow Risks: Secure interoperability frameworks and standardised data sovereignty are essential for the worldwide rollout of 6G.

A Critical Step Toward Secure Telecom: The India-UK Partnership

India's recent foray with the UK reflects its active role in shaping the future of telecom security. Major points of the UK-India Telecom Roundtable are:

• MoU between SONIC Labs and C-DOT: Dedicated to Open RAN and AI integration security in 4G/5G deployments. This will offer supply chain diversity without sacrificing resilience.
• Research Partnerships for 6G: Partnerships with UK institutions like CHEDDAR (Cloud & Distributed Computing Hub) and the University of Glasgow 6G Research Centre are focused on developing AI-driven network security solutions, green 6G, and quantum-resistant design.
• Telecom Cybersecurity Centres of Excellence: Constructing two-way CoEs for telecom cybersecurity, ethical AI, and digital twin security models.
• Standardisation Efforts: Joint contribution to ITU for the creation of IMT-2030 standards, in a way that cybersecurity-by-design principles are integrated into worldwide 6G specifications.
• Future Initiatives:

1. Application of privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) for cross-sectoral data usage.
2. Secure quantum communications to be used for satellite and submarine cable connections.
3. Encouragement of native telecommunication stacks for strategic independence.

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Global Policy and Regulatory Aspects

• India's Bharat 6G Vision: India will lead the global standardisation process in the Bharat 6G Alliance with a vision of inclusive, secure, and sustainable connectivity.
• International Harmonisation:

• 3GPP and ITU's joint effort towards standardisation of 6G security.
• Cross-border privacy and cybersecurity compliance system designs to enable secure flows of data.

• Cyber Diplomacy for Telecom Security: Cross-border sharing of information architectures, threat intelligence sharing, and coordinated incident response schemes are essential to 6G security resilience globally.

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Building a Secure and Resilient Future for 5G and 6G

Establishing a safe and future-proof 5G and 6G environment should be an end-to-end effort involving governments, industry, and technology vendors. Security should be integrated into the underlying architecture of the networks and not an afterthought feature to be optionally provided. Active engagement in international bodies to establish homogeneous security and privacy standards across geographies is also required. Public-private partnerships, including academia partnerships, will be the driver for innovation and the creation of advanced protection mechanisms. Simultaneously, creating a competent talent pool to manage AI-based threat analysis, quantum-resistant cryptography, and next-generation cryptographic methods will be required to combat the advanced menace of new telecom technologies.

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Conclusion

Given 6G on the way and 5G technologies already changing global connections, cybersecurity needs to continue to be a key focus. The partnership between India and the UK serves as an example of why the safe rise of tomorrow's networks depends on global collaboration, AI-driven security measures, plus quantum preparedness. The world can unleash the potential for transformation of 5G and 6G through combining security by design, supporting international standards, and encouraging innovation via cooperation. This will result in an online future that is not only quick and egalitarian but also solid and trustworthy.

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References:

• https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2105225
• https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/study-groups/rsg5/rwp5d/imt-2030/pages/default.aspx
• https://dot.gov.in/sites/default/files/Bharat%206G%20Vision%20Statement%20-%20full.pdf
• https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/technologies/security/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/FS.40-v3.0-002-19-July.pdf

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Introduction

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fast transforming our future in the digital world, transforming healthcare, finance, education, and cybersecurity. But alongside this technology, bad actors are also weaponising it. More and more, state-sponsored cyber actors are misusing AI tools such as ChatGPT and other generative models to automate disinformation, enable cyberattacks, and speed up social engineering operations. This write-up explores why and how AI, in the form of large language models (LLMs), is being exploited in cyber operations associated with adversarial states, and the necessity for international vigilance, regulation, and AI safety guidelines.

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The Shift: AI as a Cyber Weapon

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State-sponsored threat actors are misusing tools such as ChatGPT to turbocharge their cyber arsenal.

• Phishing Campaigns using AI- Generative AI allows for highly convincing and grammatically correct phishing emails. Unlike the shoddily written scams of yesteryears, these AI-based messages are tailored according to the victim's location, language, and professional background, increasing the attack success rate considerably. Example: It has recently been reported by OpenAI and Microsoft that Russian and North Korean APTs have employed LLMs to create customised phishing baits and malware obfuscation notes.
  
  
• Malware Obfuscation and Script Generation- Big Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT may be used by cyber attackers to help write, debug, and camouflage malicious scripts. While the majority of AI instruments contain safety mechanisms to guard against abuse, threat actors often exploit "jailbreaking" to evade these protections. Once such constraints are lifted, the model can be utilised to develop polymorphic malware that alters its code composition to avoid detection. It can also be used to obfuscate PowerShell or Python scripts to render them difficult for conventional antivirus software to identify. Also, LLMs have been employed to propose techniques for backdoor installation, additional facilitating stealthy access to hijacked systems.
  
  
• Disinformation and Narrative Manipulation
  State-sponsored cyber actors are increasingly employing AI to scale up and automate disinformation operations, especially on election, protest, and geopolitical dispute days. With LLMs' assistance, these actors can create massive amounts of ersatz news stories, deepfake interview transcripts, imitation social media posts, and bogus public remarks on online forums and petitions. The localisation of content makes this strategy especially perilous, as messages are written with cultural and linguistic specificity, making them credible and more difficult to detect. The ultimate aim is to seed societal unrest, manipulate public sentiments, and erode faith in democratic institutions.

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Disrupting Malicious Uses of AI – OpenAI Report (June 2025) 

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OpenAI released a comprehensive threat intelligence report called "Disrupting Malicious Uses of AI" and the “Staying ahead of threat actors in the age of AI”, which outlined how state-affiliated actors had been testing and misusing its language models for malicious intent. The report named few advanced persistent threat (APT) groups, each attributed to particular nation-states. OpenAI highlighted that the threat actors used the models mostly for enhancing linguistic quality, generating social engineering content, and expanding operations. Significantly, the report mentioned that the tools were not utilized to produce malware, but rather to support preparatory and communicative phases of larger cyber operations.

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AI Jailbreaking: Dodging Safety Measures

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One of the largest worries is how malicious users can "jailbreak" AI models, misleading them into generating banned content using adversarial input. Some methods employed are:

• Roleplay: Simulating the AI being a professional criminal advisor
• Obfuscation: Concealing requests with code or jargon
• Language Switching: Proposing sensitive inquiries in less frequently moderated languages
• Prompt Injection: Lacing dangerous requests within innocent-appearing questions

These methods have enabled attackers to bypass moderation tools, transforming otherwise moral tools into cybercrime instruments.

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Conclusion

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As AI generations evolve and become more accessible, its application by state-sponsored cyber actors is unprecedentedly threatening global cybersecurity. The distinction between nation-state intelligence collection and cybercrime is eroding, with AI serving as a multiplier of adversarial campaigns. AI tools such as ChatGPT, which were created for benevolent purposes, can be targeted to multiply phishing, propaganda, and social engineering attacks. The cross-border governance, ethical development practices, and cyber hygiene practices need to be encouraged.  AI needs to be shaped not only by innovation but by responsibility.

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References

• https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2024/02/14/staying-ahead-of-threat-actors-in-the-age-of-ai/
• https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/openais-chatgpt-hit-nation-state-hackers-a-28640
• https://oecd.ai/en/incidents/2025-06-13-b5e9
• https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/security-insider/meet-the-experts/emerging-AI-tactics-in-use-by-threat-actors
• https://www.wired.com/story/youre-not-ready-for-ai-hacker-agents/
• https://www.cert-in.org.in/PDF/Digital_Threat_Report_2024.pdf
• https://cdn.openai.com/threat-intelligence-reports/5f73af09-a3a3-4a55-992e-069237681620/disrupting-malicious-uses-of-ai-june-2025.pdf

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Introduction

The Indian government has introduced initiatives to enhance data sharing between law enforcement and stakeholders to combat cybercrime. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has launched the Central Suspect Registry, Cyber Fraud Mitigation Center, Samanvay Platform and Cyber Commandos programme on the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) Foundation Day celebration took place on the 10th September 2024 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The ‘Central Suspect Registry’ will serve as a central-level database with consolidated data on cybercrime suspects nationwide. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordinating Center will share a list of all repeat offenders on their servers. Shri Shah added that the Suspect Registry at the central level and connecting the states with it will help in the prevention of cybercrime.

Key Highlights of Central Suspect Registry

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has established the suspect registry in collaboration with banks and financial intermediaries to enhance fraud risk management in the financial ecosystem. The registry will serve as a central-level database with consolidated data on cybercrime suspects. Using data from the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), the registry makes it possible to identify cybercriminals as potential threats.

Central Suspect Registry Need of the Hour

The Union Home Minister of India, Shri Shah, has emphasized the need for a national Cyber Suspect Registry to combat cybercrime. He argued that having separate registries for each state would not be effective, as cybercriminals have no boundaries. He emphasized the importance of connecting states to this platform, stating it would significantly help prevent future cyber crimes.

CyberPeace Outlook

There has been an alarming uptick in cybercrimes in the country highlighting the need for proactive approaches to counter the emerging threats. The recently launched initiatives under the umbrella of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre will serve as significant steps taken by the centre to improve coordination between law enforcement agencies, strengthen user awareness, and offer technical capabilities to target cyber criminals and overall aim to combat the growing rate of cybercrime in the country.

References:

1. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2053438

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