Kaspersky: Global Cyber Threat Prediction In The Financial Sector In 2026

Illustration of cyber attacks (photo: Freepik)

JAKARTA - global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky revealed what predictions cybersecurity might face in the financial sector globally in 2026.

Banking Trojans will be rewritten for WhatsApp distribution

Criminal groups will write more and increase the scale of banking trojan distributions and abuse messaging applications such as WhatsApp to target companies and government organizations that still rely on desktop or Windows-based online banking.

Deepfake/AI service growth for social engineering

Realistic deepfake trade and AI-powered campaigns are expected to expand, sparking fraud around job interviews and job offerings, prompting illicit demand for tools that completely bypass KYC verification.

The emergence of regional infostealers

Since Lumma, Redline, and other thieves are still active, we expect to see the emergence of regional infostealers, targeting certain countries or regions, expanding the use of the MaaS model.

More attacks on NFC payments

As for the key technologies used in payments, we will look at more tools, more malware, and attacks aimed at NFC payments, in all types.

The Emergence Of An AI Agentic malware

Unlike conventional malware that relies on predefined instruction, the analytic AI malware is designed to assess its environment, analyze its impact, and quickly adjust its tactics. This means that one malware can exhibit a wide range of behaviors, ranging from initial infiltration to data exfiltration or system disruption.

Classical scams will get a new delivery method

Fraud will remain a major threat to end users. As new messaging services and platforms emerge, attackers will continue to adapt their tactics to the channel where their audience's target is most active.

Persistence of 'out of box' devices that are already infected

The threat of fake smart devices being sold is already infected with trojans (such as caughta) will continue to grow. This Trojan often comes with extensive capabilities, including the ability to steal banking credentials, and not only affects "gray" Android smartphones but also other smart devices such as TV.