AI voice-cloning attacks target Wall Street's biggest hedge funds

Major firms hit in coordinated AI vishing campaign

Some of Wall Street's most prominent investment firms were targeted in a wave of AI-powered cyberattacks in early August 2026. Attackers attempted to breach information systems at Two Sigma Investments, Citadel, and Point72 Asset Management, with several private equity firms also targeted as part of the same campaign, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg.

The attacks relied on voice phishing, or "vishing," a technique in which cybercriminals use AI and sound technology to mimic the voices, tones, and phrasing of legitimate executives, then impersonate them in phone calls or audio messages to manipulate employees into surrendering sensitive information or granting access to internal networks.

Two Sigma, which oversees $75 billion of assets, said its security team responded quickly and found no indication of any impact to its data or systems. Citadel and Point72 declined to comment.

A fast-growing threat across the financial sector

The attacks are part of a broader and accelerating trend. Voice phishing attacks skyrocketed 442% between H1 and H2 2024 as threat actors turned to vishing, callback phishing, and help desk social engineering to gain a foothold in target networks, according to the CrowdStrike 2025 Global Threat Report. The trend has not slowed down, with vishing attacks in the first half of 2025 already surpassing the total number seen in all of 2024. CrowdStrike then measured a further 134% increase in vishing from 2024 to 2025, with rates doubling again from H2 2025 to H1 2026.

Cybersecurity breaches on Wall Street have surged over the past year as AI tools help bad actors launch attacks cheaply and at scale. "Before they could attack 50 entities in a targeted attack, now they can do 1,000," said Vinod Paul, president of Align Managed Services, which specialises in hedge fund cybersecurity.

For financial firms, the exposure is especially acute. Senior executives routinely appear on earnings calls, investor days, and public panels, giving attackers a ready supply of audio from which to build convincing voice clones. Security experts warn that as the cost of running these campaigns continues to fall, the frequency and sophistication of attacks against the financial industry will only increase.

Sources:
Bloomberg: Two Sigma, Citadel, Point72 Targeted in Sophisticated Wall Street Cyber Attacks
CrowdStrike: 2025 Global Threat Report Press Release
Dark Reading: Vishing Doubles in H1 2026