UK could face AI-powered cyberattacks on critical infrastructure within two years, security chief warns

Published: 19:01 EDT, 2 November 2026 | Updated: 19:33 EDT, 2 November 2026 Hostile state actors will use artificial intelligence to carry out a major hack of Britain's critical infrastructure by 2028, the UK's cyber chief warns today. Richard Horne said it is 'highly likely' countries such as Russia and China will increase their use of AI to carry out ransomware attacks and exploitation.He said this means the UK needs to be braced for an attack on its critical national infrastructure, which covers everything from defence and energy supply to emergency services and the transport network.Mr Horne, head of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), will today explain how organisations must take urgent action to address weaknesses or risk being exploited by hostile states.In the annual State of the Cyber Nation report published today, Mr Horne said the UK's resilience to hacks is 'not where it should be'.He said: 'The cyber threat has increased faster than our defensive capabilities, leaving too many organisations vulnerable to attacks that could – and should – be prevented.'AI brings this reality into sharper focus. AI makes cyber attacks easier, faster and cheaper to execute, and at greater scale.'He said the country faces either choosing cyber security to 'become a source of national strength', or risk cyber attacks becoming 'more frequent, more severe and more costly' through inaction. Richard Horne, head of the National Cyber Security Centre, said the UK's resilience to hacks is 'not where it should be'The report highlights how cyber-security has failed to keep pace with technological advancements, with 'preventable weaknesses' such as unpatched software and poor password protection suggesting some organisations are not taking the threat seriously.The warning comes amid a succession of major cyber hacks around the world, including the largest ever recorded involving cryptocurrency firm Binance, and of refrigeration systems across parts of Europe affecting food supply.And last year, Jaguar Land Rover was crippled after hackers broke into its computer systems and hit vehicle production.The NCSC's report warns that 'by 2028, it is highly likely China, Russia, and other nation states will routinely use AI cyber to achieve their geopolitical goals with the UK facing an increase in scale and speed of sophisticated cyber attacks'.Experts say it is 'also highly likely that between now and 2028, AI-powered malware will have been used in a ransomware attack on UK CNI'.The NCSC has called on organisations across the UK to face what Mr Horne is calling 'a moment of choice'.In a speech marking the report's launch today, he will say: 'In the coming months, we face a real prospect of an unprecedented rise in the number of cyber incidents.'But we must be clear that is not because AI has invented new ways to attack us. But because vulnerabilities that have been tolerated for far too long can now be discovered and exploited at a scale that was once unimaginable.'For decades, we have collectively got away with doing tech on the cheap.'We can be a nation where leaders of all organisations actively choose to invest with urgency... And where all organisations make security and resilience a fundamental requirement, not an afterthought.'The collective result would be a source of enduring national strength for us all.'