Nathan Charles, head of customer experience at cyber security specialist OryxAlign
~ How evolving attack techniques are exposing the limits of legacy security tools in finance ~
Ransomware groups and criminal networks now rely on automated toolkits that operate at a speed few organisations can comfortably match. As AI reshapes how attacks are planned and executed, many financial firms are finding that long-established cyber defences struggle to keep pace with the volume and variability of modern intrusion attempts. Here, Nathan Charles, Head of Customer Experience at managed IT and cyber security partner OryxAlign, explores why this shift places renewed pressure on financial services in understanding and managing cyber risks.
AI-driven attacks can alter code continuously and reshape their own indicators, which unsettles controls that depend on stable patterns to function effectively. Automated probing now tests weaknesses repeatedly and at high frequency, creating conditions where alerts multiply while underlying threats continue to evolve. Reflecting this growing exposure, the Bank of England has warned that “cyberattacks remain near the top of the list of the perceived key sources of risk to the financial system”.
This pressure becomes more pronounced once monitoring enters the frame. Financial organisations increasingly rely on automated systems to scan networks and endpoints across complex estates that include core platforms, cloud infrastructure and third-party services. While these tools provide essential coverage, their outputs often require human context before teams can place confidence in what they see. Signals can sit close to normal operational behaviour, particularly in environments shaped by high transaction volumes and constant system change, which makes interpretation more demanding when time is limited.
Attackers have adapted quickly to these conditions. AI now supports the creation of indicators that blend into routine activity, making it harder for automated systems to distinguish malicious behaviour from background noise. In financial settings, where tolerance for disruption is low and response decisions carry regulatory and reputational weight, the risk of either missing early warning signs or diverting resources toward false leads becomes increasingly significant.
Maintaining resilience therefore depends on clear visibility combined with informed human judgement. Financial firms benefit from monitoring approaches that build a steady understanding of system behaviour over time, rather than relying solely on moment-to-moment alerts. This broader view helps teams recognise when activity departs meaningfully from expected patterns and supports clearer decision-making during fast-moving incidents. Industry bodies have also emphasised cyber resilience and third-party risk management, as reliance on external suppliers and cloud services continues to expand across the sector.
Operational practices play an equally important role. Lifecycle planning that keeps systems current reduces the number of unmanaged assets that attackers can exploit, while well-rehearsed response processes give teams the confidence to act decisively under pressure. Together, these measures help financial organisations retain oversight even as automated tooling produces large volumes of data and alerts.
Social-engineering attacks add another layer of complexity. The use of AI to generate more fluent and convincing messages has increased the likelihood that phishing attempts reach staff directly, bypassing traditional filtering. In financial environments, where trust and access controls sit close to the heart of daily operations, these attacks can create pathways that technical defences alone struggle to close. Automated screening can assist, although human review remains essential to judge intent and context accurately.
AI-driven attack methods will continue to evolve, and financial organisations cannot rely on legacy controls to carry the full weight of this change. Traditional tools still have a place, although their effectiveness depends increasingly on how they sit alongside real-time monitoring, disciplined operational practices and teams equipped to interpret what they see. Strengthening this balance supports resilience across the financial sector and helps firms maintain confidence as cyber risk continues to shift in scale and character.
