SISAsappersThreat-Report-2026.md

The report outlines the 2026 payment fraud landscape driven by the rise of autonomous AI agents and generative-AI-enabled upstream identity attacks. Key topics include cryptographic agent verification (TAP/ACP) to distinguish legitimate agents from malicious bots, the "Phantom Hacker" deepfake social-engineering chain leading to Authorized Push Payments, localized IMSI-style "SMS Blasters" that bypass carrier protections, and the multi-year operational impact of migrating to post-quantum cryptography. It concludes with targeted recommendations for infrastructure providers, merchants, and compliance teams to adopt cryptographic validation, behavioral recalibration, and PQC planning.