Britain should be prepared for an AI-powered cyberattack on its critical national infrastructure within the next two years, the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said on Tuesday, 3 November, in its new State of the Cyber Nation report.

The NCSC, which is part of the GCHQ intelligence agency, said it was highly likely there would be a ransomware attack involving AI-powered malware on the nation's critical infrastructure by 2028. The report warns AI adoption by hostile actors is highly likely to increase the scale and efficiency of ransomware, social engineering and vulnerability exploitation.

An unprecedented rise in incidents expected

In a speech to launch the report, NCSC chief executive Dr Richard Horne was set to say that in the coming months Britain faces a real prospect of an unprecedented rise in the number of cyber incidents. He said vulnerabilities tolerated for far too long can now be exploited at unprecedented scale.

Dr Horne criticised decades of doing tech on the cheap. He was also due to say Russia was making sustained attempts to penetrate UK military networks, Iran was carrying out malicious cyber operations globally, and China was likely best equipped for AI-enabled operations against critical infrastructure.

Investment announced alongside the warning

The warning comes with fresh government investment in cyber defence. Last week the Chancellor announced £60 million for a national Cyber Shield, £70 million for a new NERV Centre to identify vulnerabilities, and a new AI Cyber Security Centre of Excellence in Manchester.

Dr Horne urged organisations to treat security as a fundamental requirement, with Cyber Essentials as the starting point. Failing to act, he warned, could leave leaders explaining why food is not on shelves and lights are not on.

Sources: National Cyber Security Centre; BusinessWorld.