Cybersecurity Governance Urged Amid Rising AI Threats

• •Cybercriminals increasingly exploit AI for attacks on financial entities.
• •Australian businesses face rising costs of cybercrime, averaging A$202,700 per incident.
• •Regulatory frameworks now require direct board oversight of cybersecurity.

The European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA, and ESMA) have called for enhanced governance to mitigate ICT risks linked to frontier AI models. This comes as cybercriminals increasingly target financial entities, exploiting vulnerabilities through advanced techniques like AI-driven phishing and deepfakes. In Australia, the cost of cybercrime for large businesses has surged to an average of A$202,700 per incident, reflecting a 219% increase year-on-year. Finance professionals are now urged to adopt a 'breached mindset' and implement robust incident response plans. The call for action aligns with new regulatory frameworks mandating direct board oversight of cybersecurity. The emphasis is on the need for finance leaders to understand their roles in cyber resilience, particularly in light of the evolving threat landscape. The ESAs' statement aims to foster a cross-sectoral supervisory approach to bolster operational resilience against these emerging threats.