Moscow, Oct 28 (IANS) In view of the growing menace of international cybercrime, the BRICS members should come together in an alliance to counter the threat, an official of Russia's largest bank, Sber, has suggested.

Sberbank Executive Board's Deputy Chairman Stanislav Kuznetsov gave the call for a BRICS Cybersecurity Alliance at a Russian Foreign Ministry round table titled "Capacity Building and Technical Assistance" during the ceremony of signing the UN Convention against Cybercrime.

Presenting data on growing international cyber threats, Kuznetsov proposed reviewing the roadmap for forming the alliance at a special session of the BRICS summit in India in 2026.

While globally, organisations face an average of 2,000 attacks weekly, with many companies, especially small and medium-sized businesses, being unprepared for such threats, the threat is also increasing in BRICS countries.

Cyberattacks in China increased by nearly one-third over the past year, Brazil witnessed a sharp rise in cyber threats, and in India, one in six companies encountered shutdowns or data losses.

Russia is also a prime target for cybercriminals. In 2025, attacks on various sectors -- including government institutions, IT companies, and banks -- increased threefold. Sber has successfully repelled twice as many cyberattacks on its infrastructure this year compared to the previous year, Kuznetsov said.

Cybercriminals are utilising artificial intelligence to carry out more potent attacks and create new malicious viruses, primarily targeting government institutions, public organisations, hospitals, banks, and critical infrastructure facilities.

"In times when cyberattacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and spreading worldwide, stronger partnerships are needed for sharing expertise, strengthening trust, and creating common standards and joint response mechanisms. Russia, speaking more generally, and Sber, in particular, have unique experience countering the most complex cyberattacks, which we are willing to share."

"Our initiative to create the BRICS Alliance will make a significant contribution to global cyber-resilience. I am confident that the idea of a secure digital future can unite governments, law enforcement agencies, CERT teams, technology companies, and scientific institutes of partner countries," Kuznetsov said.

He highlighted phone fraud as a major trend in cybercrime. Globally, the number of phone fraud cases has increased by one-third over the past three years, with around 600 million people falling victim worldwide.

Half of these cases occur in the Asia-Pacific region. Advanced techniques such as vishing, QR phishing, voice fraud, deepfakes, and fraudulent use of AI are causing greater harm, according to the data.

In such a scenario, cross-border cooperation, sharing best practices, and rapid adaptation can be the key to addressing these challenges, Kuznetsov said.

The BRICS Cybersecurity Alliance will unite key organisations from member countries to share expertise and coordinate actions, enabling a unified fight against cyber threats and more effective incident response, he said.

Potentially, with coordination and commitment from all parties, the Alliance could commence operations as early as 2027, he added.

--IANS