The UK is highly likely to face a ransomware attack involving AI-powered malware against its critical national infrastructure within the next two years, according to the National Cyber Security Centre.

The agency’s State of the Cyber Nation annual report warns that hostile actors are increasingly likely to use AI to increase the scale and efficiency of cyber operations, including ransomware attacks, social engineering and the exploitation of software vulnerabilities.

The NCSC warns that years of underinvestment in technology and cyber security could leave organisations increasingly exposed as AI capabilities develop. Its report calls on organisations to make significant changes to their approach to cyber security, including addressing underinvestment in technology, reducing unnecessary internet connectivity and adopting established security standards.

Dr Richard Horne, CEO of the NCSC, said: “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.”

The warning comes alongside increased government investment in national cyber defence. Last week, the Chancellor announced £60m for the first phase of a national Cyber Shield, £70m for a National Exposure and Real-Time Vulnerability Centre to identify vulnerabilities across critical infrastructure and the wider economy, and a new AI Cyber Security Centre of Excellence in Manchester.

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