UK cyber agency warns AI-powered attacks on infrastructure 'highly likely' by 2028
NCSC chief says ransomware using artificial intelligence will probably hit power stations, airports, hospitals within two years.
What to know
- UK's National Cyber Security Centre expects AI-powered ransomware to hit critical infrastructure (power, transport, health, finance) by 2028, with China identified as the best-equipped threat actor.
- AI will enhance ransomware through automated target scouting, network vulnerability discovery, and malicious code generation—exploiting weaknesses British organisations have tolerated for decades.
- NCSC chief warns of 'unprecedented rise' in cyber incidents in coming months; government has already launched emergency preparedness campaign urging citizens to stockpile supplies.
“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.”
Richard Horne, NCSC chief executive · Straits Times ↗
National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) UK state cybersecurity body (part of GCHQ)
Richard Horne NCSC chief executiveAlan Woodward Professor of cybersecurity, Surrey University
Wes Streeting UK Defence Secretary
How it unfolded 0 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump
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Horne links warning to decades of deferred IT maintenance in Britain — The NCSC chief said far too many British organisations and supply chains had cut corners on technology spending for decades, creating vulnerabilities now exploitable at scale. He emphasised the need for urgent action to avoid infrastructure failures when attacks occur.
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NCSC identifies China as best equipped for AI-powered infrastructure attacks — The Straits Times reports that the NCSC named China as the most likely actor to conduct AI-powered cyberattacks on UK critical infrastructure, describing China's activity as 'the most sophisticated and sustained cyber challenge the UK faces.' Horne also warned Russia is making sustained attempts to penetrate UK military networks.
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NCSC chief Horne to warn of 'unprecedented rise' in cyber incidents — NCSC chief executive Richard Horne will deliver a speech stating that Britain faces an immediate threat from AI-enabled attacks, attributing the danger to technology's ability to uncover vulnerabilities that have been 'tolerated for far too long.'
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NCSC identifies how AI will enhance ransomware capabilities — The review specified that AI will assist attackers with scouting targets, locating weaknesses in IT networks, and writing malicious code. Russia and China are expected to start using AI 'routinely' in cyber-attacks.
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NCSC publishes annual review warning of AI-powered ransomware threat to UK infrastructure — The National Cyber Security Centre released its annual review stating it is 'highly likely' that AI-powered malware will be used in a ransomware attack against UK critical national infrastructure between now and 2028. The warning covers power stations, airports, hospitals, and other facilities across energy, transport, defence, food, health and finance sectors.
What people are saying 6 voices from 2 sites · verbatim
- Nov 9
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Well just move everything to an isolated network and keep it on site. Have MI ported via an API to an internet app. It's not hard folks. A direct cloud connection was never a good idea.
- Nov 4
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J
The NCSC says AI-powered ransomware on critical infrastructure is 'highly likely' by 2028. The defence system arrives in five years. Marvellous. # cybersecurity # NCSC # ransomware # AI # infosec Source: https://www. theregister.com/security/2026/ 11/03/britain-on-notice-ai-powered-ransomware-attacks-to-arrive-by-2028/5307200
- Nov 3
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L
AI-powered malware is strongly expected to feature in ransomware attacks on the UK’s critical national infrastructure by 2028, @ ncsc has warned. 🗨️ The country faces “a real prospect of an unprecedented rise in the number of cyber incidents,” NCSC CEO Richard Horne said today, during the launch event for the agency’s annual State of the Cyber…
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Maybe telecoms should look into selling air gaped network access. Not sure how practical it would be though.
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If the large American cooperations stopped or slowed down, so would everyone else, as they are copying the technology from them.
- Nov 2
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H
The NCSC warns Britain will face an increase in the scale and speed of AI-powered cyber attacks from adversaries like China and Russia. By 2028, these nation-states are expected to use AI routinely to achieve geopolitical goals. https://www. ft.com/content/131d9506-04b1-4 9b8-ba79-b0d783219c40?syn-25a6b1a6=1 # Ukraine # Russia # China # UK