The UK National Cyber Security Centre considers it highly likely that a ransomware attack using artificial intelligence will target the country’s critical national infrastructure between now and 2028. Its chief executive, Richard Horne, said AI is mainly amplifying existing weaknesses, including social engineering and ransomware, rather than creating entirely new attack methods. The agency identified China as the leading state threat and expects hostile actors to accelerate their adoption of AI for cyber operations. In the year ending August 31, 2026, the NCSC received 1,831 attack reports, supported 337 incidents and classified 80 as nationally significant, while malicious cyber activity is estimated to cost UK organisations £14.7 billion annually. The government also announced £60 million for the Cyber Shield initiative, £70 million for a national exposure and real-time vulnerability centre and a new AI cyber security centre of excellence in Manchester.
Source: Read the original article
