Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2026: AI-Powered Cyber Attacks
28 September 2026
Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2026 runs throughout October, and at Veritau we’re using the month to highlight practical ways everyone can stay secure in an increasingly digital world. Throughout October, we’ll be sharing a series of short articles designed to raise awareness of emerging risks and offer clear advice for staying protected.
We’re starting with a topic that can affect every organisation: AI‑powered cyber attacks. As artificial intelligence becomes more embedded in everyday tools and workflows, cybercriminals are increasingly using it to enhance their attacks, making them faster, more convincing and harder to detect.
Read our first Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2026 article below to explore how these threats work and what you can do to stay secure.
AI-Powered Cyber Attacks
While AI is helping organisations improve efficiency and deliver better services, it is also providing new opportunities for criminals to make their scams more convincing, increasing the likelihood of people and organisations falling victim.
Although the risk to local authorities is particularly high because of the large amounts of sensitive information they hold, you are also likely to be targeted as an individual. Cybercriminals will attempt to obtain financial information or collect data they can then use to exploit you or sell to other criminals.
Phishing
Traditionally phishing emails could often be spotted as they were poorly written or used generic language to enable them to be sent to large numbers of people. AI has changed this. Criminals can now create professional-looking messages in seconds, free from the spelling and grammar mistakes that once made scams easier to spot. AI tools can also analyse information that people share publicly online, allowing criminals to tailor their messages to specific individuals, organisations or communities. As a result, phishing emails and text messages can appear more authentic and relevant than ever before and as phishing remains the most prevalent type of cyberattack you are likely to face it is key you remain aware of the ways in which they are evolving.
Deepfakes
AI is also being used to create realistic fake voices and videos, known as “deepfakes”. These can be used to impersonate colleagues, trusted organisations, or even family members in an attempt to persuade you to share information and make payments. This was the technique some fraudsters used to imitate the Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto in early 2025. They then targeted Giorgio Armani, former Inter Milan owner Massimo Moratti, Prada co-founder Patrizio Bertelli, and members of the billionaire Beretta and Menarini families, among several others, to ask for €1m for the release of kidnapped journalists in the Middle East. It’s still unclear whether the scammers were using pre-recorded messages or an AI voice filter that was changing their voice in real-time – an arguably scarier possibility!
How to Protect Yourself
The good news is that the same basic security habits remain effective against AI-powered attacks:
Be cautious of unexpected emails, texts or phone calls, even if they appear professional or claim to be from someone you know.
Take time to verify requests for money, personal information or urgent action through a trusted channel.
Think carefully before clicking links or opening attachments and check any links are redirecting you to where you expect.
Use strong, unique passwords and enable multi-factor authentication where available.
Be aware that voices, photographs and videos can now be manipulated using AI.
Stay Vigilant
This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, remember: if something feels unusual, rushed or too good to be true, it is worth checking before you act. By taking a moment to pause, question and verify unusual requests, we can all help reduce the risk of becoming victims of increasingly sophisticated scams.
Further support
For more information about cybersecurity, contact your IT team, or visit the NCSC website.
If you have suspicions of fraud affecting one of our member councils, call our team on 0800 9179 247 or email [email protected].
Check if your data has been breached by inputting your email address on haveibeenpwned.com which will show if any of your accounts have been compromised. Change the passwords of any accounts shown or consider deleting them if they are no longer in use.
If your organisation doesn’t currently receive counter fraud or data protection officer services from Veritau, please contact us for more information. We can support you with prevention, through providing policies, frameworks and fraud awareness training – or we can investigate matters as they arise.
