#FactCheck - AI Generated Photo Circulating Online Misleads About BARC Building Redesign

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.

‍

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.

‍

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.

‍

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.

‍

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.

‍

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.

‍

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.

‍

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

‍

Introduction

In July 2025, the Digital Defence Report prepared by Microsoft raised an alarm that India is part of the top target countries in AI-powered nation-state cyberattacks with malicious agents automating phishing, creating convincing deepfakes, and influencing opinion with the help of generative AI (Microsoft Digital Defence Report, 2025). Most of the attention in the world has continued to be on the United States and Europe, but Asia-Pacific and especially India have become a major target in terms of AI-based cyber activities. This blog discusses the role of AI in espionage, redefining the threat environment of India, the reaction of the government, and what India can learn by looking at the example of cyber giants worldwide.

Understanding AI-Powered Cyber Espionage

Conventional cyber-espionage intends to hack systems, steal information or bring down networks. With the emergence of generative AI, these strategies have changed completely. It is now possible to automate reconnaissance, create fake voices and videos of authorities and create highly advanced phishing campaigns which can pass off as genuine even to a trained expert. According to the report made by Microsoft, AI is being used by state-sponsored groups to expand their activities and increase accuracy in victims (Microsoft Digital Defence Report, 2025). Based on SQ Magazine, almost 42 percent of state-based cyber campaigns in 2025 had AIs like adaptive malware or intelligent vulnerability scanners (SQ Magazine, 2025).

AI is altering the power dynamic of cyberspace. The tools previously needing significant technical expertise or substantial investments have become ubiquitous, and smaller countries can conduct sophisticated cyber operations as well as non-state actors. The outcome is the speeding up of the arms race with AI serving as the weapon and the armour.

India’s Exposure and Response 

The weakness of the threat landscape lies in the growing online infrastructure and geopolitical location. The attack surface has expanded the magnitude of hundreds of millions of citizens with the integration of platforms like DigiLocker and CoWIN. Financial institutions, government portals and defence networks are increasingly becoming targets of cyber attacks that are more sophisticated. Faking videos of prominent figures, phishing letters with the official templates, and manipulation of the social media are currently all being a part of disinformation campaigns (Microsoft Digital Defence Report, 2025).

According to the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), the India Cyber Threat Report 2025 reported that attacks using AI are growing exponentially, particularly in the shape of malicious behaviour and social engineering (DSCI, 2025). The nodal cyber-response agency of India, CERT-In, has made several warnings regarding scams related to AI and AI-generated fake content that is aimed at stealing personal information or deceiving the population. Meanwhile, enforcement and red-teaming actions have been intensified, but the communication between central agencies and state police and the private platforms is not even. There is also an acute shortage of cybersecurity talents in India, as less than 20 percent of cyber defence jobs are occupied by qualified specialists (DSCI, 2025).

Government and Policy Evolution

The government response to AI-enabled threats is taking three forms, namely regulation, institutional enhancing, and capacity building. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 saw a major move in defining digital responsibility (Government of India, 2023). Nonetheless, threats that involve AI-specific issues like data poisoning, model manipulation, or automated disinformation remain grey areas. The following National Cybersecurity Strategy will attempt to remedy them by establishing AI-government guidelines and responsibility standards to major sectors.

At the institutional level, the efforts of such organisations as the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) and the Defence Cyber Agency are also being incorporated into their processes with the help of AI-based monitoring. There is also an emerging public-private initiative. As an example, the CyberPeace Foundation and national universities have signed a memorandum of understanding that currently facilitates the specialised training in AI-driven threat analysis and digital forensics (Times of India, August 2025). Even after these positive indications, India does not have any cohesive system of reporting cases of AI. The publication on arXiv in September 2025 underlines the importance of the fact that legal approaches to AI-failure reporting need to be developed by countries to approach AI-initiated failures in such fields as national security with accountability (arXiv, 2025).

Global Implications and Lessons for India

Major economies all over the world are increasing rapidly to integrate AI innovation with cybersecurity preparedness. The United States and United Kingdom are spending big on AI-enhanced military systems, performing machine learning in security operations hubs and organising AI-based “red team” exercises (Microsoft Digital Defence Report, 2025). Japan is testing cross-ministry threat-sharing platforms that utilise AI analytics and real-time decision-making (Microsoft Digital Defence Report, 2025).

Four lessons can be distinguished as far as India is concerned.

• To begin with, the cyber defence should shift to proactive intelligence in place of reactive investigation. It is not only possible to detect the adversary behaviour after the attacks, but to simulate them in advance using AI.
• Second, teamwork is essential. The issue of cybersecurity cannot be entrusted to government enforcement. The private sector that maintains the majority of the digital infrastructure in India must be actively involved in providing information and knowledge.
• Third, there is the issue of AI sovereignty. Building or hosting its own defensive AI tools in India will diminish dependence on foreign vendors, and minimise the possible vulnerabilities of the supply-chain.
• Lastly, the initial defence is digital literacy. The citizens should be trained on how to detect deepfakes, phishing, and other manipulated information. The importance of creating human awareness cannot be underestimated as much as technical defences (SQ Magazine, 2025).

Conclusion 

AI has altered the reasoning behind cyber warfare. There are quicker attacks, more difficult to trace and scalable as never before. In the case of India, it is no longer about developing better firewalls but rather the ability to develop anticipatory intelligence to counter AI-powered threats. This requires a national policy that incorporates technology, policy and education.

India can transform its vulnerability to strength with the sustained investment, ethical AI governance, and healthy cooperation between the government and the business sector. The following step in cybersecurity does not concern who possesses more firewalls than the other but aims to learn and adjust more quickly and successfully in a world where machines already belong to the battlefield (Microsoft Digital Defence Report, 2025).

References:

• Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2025
• India Cyber Threat Report 2025, DSCI 
• Lucknow based organisations to help strengthen cybercrime research training policy ecosystem 
• AI Cyber Attacks Statistics 2025: How Attacks, Deepfakes & Ransomware Have Escalated, SQ Magazine 
• Incorporating AI Incident Reporting into Telecommunications Law and Policy: Insights from India. ‍
• The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

Introduction

Cybercrimes have been traversing peripheries and growing at a fast pace. Cybercrime is known to be an offensive action that either targets or operates through a computer, a computer network or a networked device, according to Kaspersky.  In the “Era of globalisation” and a “Digitally coalesced world”, there has been an increase in International cybercrime. Cybercrime could be for personal or political objectives. Nevertheless, Cybercrime aims to sabotage networks for motives other than gain and be carried out either by organisations or individuals. Some of the cybercriminals have no national boundaries and are considered a global threat. They are likewise inordinately technically adept and operate avant-garde strategies. 

The 2023 Global Risk Report points to exacerbating geopolitical apprehensions that have increased the advanced persistent threats (APTs), which are evolving globally as they are ubiquitous. Christine Lagarde, the president of the European Central Bank and former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in 2020 cautioned that a cyber attack could lead to a severe economic predicament. Contemporary technologies and hazardous players have grown at an exceptional gait over the last few decades. Also, cybercrime has heightened on the agenda of nation-states, establishments and global organisations, as per the World Economic Forum (WEF). 

The Role of the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee 

In two shakes, the United Nations (UN) has a major initiative to develop a new and more inclusive approach to addressing cybercrime and is presently negotiating a new convention on cybercrime. The following convention seeks to enhance global collaboration in the combat against cybercrime. The UN has a central initiative to develop a unique and more inclusive strategy for addressing cybercrime. The UN passed resolution 74/247, which designated an open-ended ad hoc committee (AHC) in December 2019 entrusted with setting a broad global convention on countering the use of information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for illicit pursuits. 

The Cybercrime treaty, if adopted by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) would be the foremost imperative UN mechanism on a cyber point. The treaty could further become a crucial international legal framework for global collaboration on arraigning cyber criminals, precluding and investigating cybercrime. There have correspondingly been numerous other national and international measures to counter the criminal use of ICTs. However, the UN treaty is intended to tackle cybercrime and enhance partnership and coordination between states. The negotiations of the Ad Hoc Committee with the member states will be completed by early 2024 to further adopt the treaty during the UNGA in September 2024.

However, the following treaty is said to be complex. Some countries endorse a treaty that criminalises cyber-dependent offences and a comprehensive spectrum of cyber-enabled crimes.  The proposals of Russia, Belarus, China, Nicaragua and Cuba have included highly controversial recommendations. Nevertheless, India has backed for criminalising crimes associated with ‘cyber terrorism’ and the suggestions of India to the UN Ad Hoc committee are in string with its regulatory strategy in the country. Similarly, the US, Japan, the UK, European Union (EU) member states and Australia want to include core cyber-dependent crimes. 

Nonetheless, though a new treaty could become a practical instrument in the international step against cybercrime, it must conform to existing global agencies and networks that occupy similar areas. This convention will further supplement the "Budapest Cybercrime Convention" on cybercrime that materialised in the 1990s and was signed in Budapest in the year 2001.

Conclusion

According to Cyber Security Ventures, global cybercrime is expected to increase by 15 per cent per year over the next five years, reaching USD 10.5 trillion annually by 2025, up from USD 3 trillion in 2015. The UN cybercrime convention aims to be more global. That being the case, next-generation tools should have state-of-the-art technology to deal with new cyber crimes and cyber warfare. The global crevasse in nation-states due to cybercrime is beyond calculation. It could lead to a great cataclysm in the global economy and threaten the political interest of the countries on that account. It is crucial for global governments and international organisations. It is necessary to strengthen the collaboration between establishments (public and private) and law enforcement mechanisms. An “appropriately designed policy” is henceforward the need of the hour.

References

• https://www.kaspersky.co.in/resource-center/threats/what-is-cybercrime
• https://www.cyberpeace.org/
• https://www.interpol.int/en/Crimes/Cybercrime
• https://www.bizzbuzz.news/bizz-talk/ransomware-attacks-on-startups-msmes-on-the-rise-in-india-cyberpeace-foundation-1261320
• https://www.financialexpress.com/business/digital-transformation-cyberpeace-foundation-receives-4-million-google-org-grant-3282515/
• https://www.chathamhouse.org/2023/08/what-un-cybercrime-treaty-and-why-does-it-matter
• https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/global-rules-crack-down-cybercrime/
• https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-risks-report-2023/
• https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2021/03/global-cyber-threat-to-financial-systems-maurer.htm
• https://www.eff.org/issues/un-cybercrime-treaty#:~:text=The%20United%20Nations%20is%20currently,of%20billions%20of%20people%20worldwide.
• https://cybersecurityventures.com/hackerpocalypse-cybercrime-report-2016/
• https://www.coe.int/en/web/cybercrime/the-budapest-convention
• https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/counter-use-of-technology-for-cybercrime-india-tells-un-ad-hoc-group/articleshow/92237908.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
• https://consultation.dpmc.govt.nz/un-cybercrime-convention/principlesandobjectives/supporting_documents/Background.pdf
• https://unric.org/en/a-un-treaty-on-cybercrime-en-route/

‍