The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is facing multiple waves of cyber threats from foreign-based attackers prompting a serious alert across Indian security agencies.
Owing to this, a senior cyber security officer
overseeing summit operations said a G20-grade shield has been activated till the event ends on February 20.
According to the authorities, one of the most serious risks is the misuse of social media and deepfake technology to manipulate or fabricate statements by world leaders, potentially spreading false narratives within minutes.
The authorities said cyber teams are closely monitoring online platforms to prevent disinformation campaigns linked to the summit, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (February 16). As per sources, the alert states that government websites are under threat and can be targeted through “watering hole attacks” in which hackers attempt to exploit vulnerabilities to silently plant malware.
Officials said summit communications also face threats from session and token hijacking, rogue “Evil Twin” WiFi hotspots, and data theft operations aimed at delegates and affiliated social media accounts. As per the inputs, cybercriminals are simultaneously preparing ransomware attacks against critical infrastructure, while distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) strikes are intended to overwhelm digital public platforms and disrupt services.
Investigators suspect high-powered brute-force attempts could be executed by advanced computing capabilities, targeting network hardware such as video conferencing systems, routers and switches. Security agencies have also warned of infected USB storage devices being used to infiltrate computers and quietly spread malware across organisations.
In a further escalation, foreign-based threat actors are exploiting outdated or vulnerable routers used by internet service providers turning them into proxy networks to launch attacks on Indian IT infrastructure.
WHAT IS THE CYBER SHIELD ACTIVATED?
A G20-grade, multi-layered, defence framework is fully operational now, with the system engineered to withstand thousands of attack attempts per minute.
This cyber shield includes mandatory multi-factor authentication, real-time patch management, disabled USB autorun, restricted user privileges, continuous backups and ongoing vulnerability and penetration testing audits across summit systems.
The umbrella system has multiple cyber security experts, teams of private players and groups of analysts. Officials indicated India’s experience hosting the G20 Summit, during which agencies neutralised more than 1.6 million cyberattack attempts without a breach. That infrastructure and operational playbook have now been expanded to safeguard the AI summit.
