The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned that AI-powered malware is highly likely to be used in a ransomware attack against the UK’s critical national infrastructure by 2028, as hostile actors increasingly use AI to accelerate cyber-attacks.
State of the Cyber Nation report
In its latest State of the Cyber Nation report, published today (3 November), the NCSC warns that AI will enable attackers to identify and exploit longstanding vulnerabilities at unprecedented speed and scale, increasing the threat of ransomware, social engineering and vulnerability exploitation.
The report also highlights the need for organisations to make significant changes to their cybersecurity strategies, warning that failure to act could put essential services, businesses and the wider UK economy at risk.
The Government has also announced further investment in the UK’s cyber defences, including £60 million for a national Cyber Shield, £70 million for a National Exposure and Real-Time Vulnerability (NERV) Centre and a new AI Cyber Security Centre of Excellence in Manchester.
“Traditional approaches are no longer enough”
Simon Edwards, CEO of SE Labs said: “These warnings come as little surprise given the current state of the cyber-threat landscape and the constant wave of attacks targeting organisations.
“Cyber-criminals are increasingly exploiting AI and cause significant disruption at unprecedented speed and scale.”
“Crucially, we also can not overlook non-AI-powered threats and the issue of ‘cyber-poverty’.
“SMEs often lack the financial resources to build strong cybersecurity capabilities, despite being the backbone of larger organisations’ supply chains.”
He continued: “Businesses are being exposed not only to emerging AI-powered attacks, but also to more traditional threats.
“Organisations need cybersecurity that can keep pace current cyber-threats, and traditional approaches are no longer enough.
“Rigorous, independent testing against real-world attacks is essential to exposing weaknesses before hackers do and ensuring businesses are properly protected against these evolving threats,” Edwards concluded.
“A fundamental requirement, not an afterthought”
Dr Richard Horne, CEO, NCSC said: “In the coming months, we face a real prospect of an unprecedented rise in the number of cyber-incidents.
“But we must be clear that is not because AI has invented new ways to attack us.
“But because vulnerabilities that have been tolerated for far too long can now be discovered and exploited at a scale that was once unimaginable.”
“For decades, we have collectively got away with doing tech on the cheap.
“We can be a nation where leaders of all organisations actively choose to invest with urgency… And where all organisations make security and resilience a fundamental requirement, not an afterthought.
“The collective result would be a source of enduring national strength for us all,” he concluded.
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