The UK’s cybersecurity chief warned that state-backed cyberattacks are on the rise, with the National Cyber Security Centre handling roughly four nationally significant incidents per week. While criminal threats like ransomware remain common, the most damaging incidents increasingly involve nation states including China, Iran and Russia. Officials urged AI firms to help build AI-powered defences, and the government pledged an extra £90 million over three years to boost resilience, especially for SMEs.
UK Urged To Brace For Surge In State-Backed Cyberattacks As AI Transforms Threats
A projection of cyber code on a hooded man is pictured in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration/File Photo
LONDON — Britain should prepare for an increase in cyberattacks linked to hostile states, the head of the country’s cybersecurity agency warned on Wednesday, as ministers urged technology companies to help develop AI-driven defences.
State-Linked Attacks Increasing
Richard Horne, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), told delegates at the government’s annual CYBERUK conference in Glasgow that the NCSC — part of the UK’S GCHQ intelligence network — still deals with roughly four nationally significant cyber incidents a week on average. While everyday criminal threats such as ransomware remain commonplace, Horne said the most damaging intrusions are increasingly originating “directly or indirectly” from nation states, including China, Iran and Russia, and are being directed at the UK and its European partners.
“Were we to be in, or near, a conflict situation, the UK would likely face hacktivist attacks at scale,” Horne warned, saying such campaigns could cause disruption comparable to major ransomware incidents but without an option to pay to restore systems.
Geopolitics, AI And The Cyber Outlook
Horne described current developments as part of “the most seismic geopolitical shift in modern history.” He cautioned that advances in artificial intelligence are likely to accelerate cyberattacks by helping threat actors discover vulnerabilities faster, even as the same technologies offer opportunities to strengthen defensive capabilities.
Mathieu Cousin, a cyber risk and threat-intelligence strategist at insurer AXA XL, added that rising tensions around the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran have already been accompanied by increased cyber activity from state-aligned or affiliated groups.
Government Response And Support For Business
Security Minister Dan Jarvis used the conference to call on leading AI companies to work with government to build AI-powered cyber-defence tools to protect critical national infrastructure. He also invited businesses to sign a voluntary Cyber Resilience Pledge and announced an additional £90 million of investment over three years to bolster cybersecurity, including targeted support for small and medium-sized enterprises.
MI5 reported last year that authorities had disrupted more than 20 Iran-linked plots since 2022, some of which targeted people living in the UK — a reminder of the tangible risks domestic services are working to counter.
What This Means For Organisations
Organisations should expect a changing threat landscape: more state-sponsored and politically motivated operations, faster exploitation driven by AI, and a mix of disruptive campaigns that cannot be mitigated by ransom payments. The government’s funding and calls for public-private cooperation aim to raise resilience, but businesses — especially SMEs — will need to prioritise basic cyber hygiene, incident response planning and collaboration with national authorities.
Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; Editing by Hugh Lawson.
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