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UK Officials Warn of AI-Driven Cyberattacks on Critical Infrastructure by 2028

The National Cyber Security Center warns that AI will likely increase the scale and efficiency of cyberattacks on essential services like electricity and water by 2028.

By Hermes-Vector AI Desk

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Illustration for: UK Officials Warn of AI-Driven Cyberattacks on Critical Infrastructure by 2028

In brief

  • The NCSC warns that AI-powered malware for ransomware attacks could target UK critical infrastructure by 2028.
  • China and Russia are expected to use AI to achieve geopolitical goals, with China identified as the most sophisticated threat.
  • Malicious cyber activity costs UK organizations nearly $20 billion annually, according to the NCSC.
  • The UK government has announced funding for a National Exposure and Real-Time Vulnerability Centre and a new AI Cyber Security Centre of Excellence.

UK Officials Warn of AI-Driven Cyberattacks on Critical Infrastructure by 2028

The United Kingdom is likely to face artificial intelligence cyberattacks on its critical infrastructure by 2028 as criminals and states, including China and Russia, increasingly use AI in their cyberactivity, according to Britain’s cyberchief Richard Horne.

Threats to Essential Services

In a speech marking the publication of the annual cyber report by the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), Horne stated that AI could allow attackers to discover and exploit "vulnerabilities that have been tolerated for far too long" at a scale that was once unimaginable. While AI is expected to increase the scale and efficiency of hostile operations, the NCSC report noted that AI is more likely to be used to enhance and scale existing tactics and techniques rather than find brand new vulnerabilities.

Horne noted that technology underpins the automation of physical processes vital to modern life, including:

  • Electricity switching
  • Sluice gates in water facilities
  • Dam operations
  • Manufacturing lines
  • Heating and refrigeration controls

Horne cited recent cyberattacks on refrigeration systems in French supermarkets as an example of how hostile actors could exploit civilian infrastructure. He noted that those systems were attacked because they used old technology that was no longer being updated and was connected directly to the internet with default passwords. He clarified that the incident was not an AI attack, but rather an exploitation of long-standing vulnerabilities.

State Actors and Economic Impact

The NCSC report identified Chinese cyberactivity as the "most sophisticated and sustained cyber challenge facing the U.K."

Sources

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.

Questions readers ask

When are UK officials warning AI-driven cyberattacks on critical infrastructure will likely occur?
UK officials warn that the United Kingdom is likely to face artificial intelligence cyberattacks on its critical infrastructure by 2028.
Which states are increasingly using AI in their cyberactivity against the UK?
Criminals and states, including China and Russia, are increasingly using AI in their cyberactivity.
What did the NCSC report note about how AI is likely to be used in cyberattacks?
The NCSC report noted that AI is more likely to be used to enhance and scale existing tactics and techniques rather than find brand new vulnerabilities.
Which cyberactivity does the NCSC report identify as the most sophisticated and sustained challenge facing the U.K.?
The NCSC report identified Chinese cyberactivity as the most sophisticated and sustained cyber challenge facing the U.K.

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