Richard Horne, head of the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, said roughly 75% of cyberattacks on Britain's critical infrastructure are linked to hostile state actors. The NCSC handled 200 related incidents in the year to May 2026, with attacks increasingly targeting networks and operational technology across transport, energy and healthcare. Horne named Russia, China and Iran as key threats and urged boards and executives to bolster cyber resilience to prevent vulnerabilities being exploited in future conflicts.
UK Warns 75% Of Attacks On Critical Systems Linked To Hostile States; NCSC Reports 200 Incidents
A hooded man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration
LONDON, June 17 — About three-quarters of cyberattacks targeting Britain's critical infrastructure can be traced to hostile state actors, Richard Horne, head of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), said in a speech on Wednesday.
Horne told the audience that in the year to May 2026 the NCSC dealt with 200 incidents affecting critical infrastructure and the systems that support it, covering detection, containment and response activity. He warned these attacks increasingly focus on the networks and operational technology that underpin essential services, raising the risk of disruption across transport, energy, healthcare and other vital sectors.
Horne named Russia, China and Iran as states he believes are increasingly targeting such systems. Those countries have previously denied British accusations of malicious activity; the Chinese, Russian and Iranian embassies in London did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.
"Every board member and every executive, in every organisation," Horne said, must strengthen cyber resilience. He cautioned that vulnerabilities left unaddressed today could be exploited in any future conflict.
The NCSC's findings underline the growing geopolitical dimension of cyber risk and the pressing need for organisations that run or rely on critical infrastructure to prioritise security, incident response planning and investment in resilience measures.
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