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UK cyber agency warns AI will make attacks on key services faster and bigger

In its yearly report, the National Cyber Security Centre says AI-powered attacks on UK infrastructure are likely within two years.

By Gustavo Toledo Salles · Europe.AI.News · 4 Nov 2026

The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) published its State of the Cyber Nation report on 3 November. It says UK infrastructure is likely to face AI-powered attacks within two years, with ransomware, scam messages and the exploiting of software weaknesses as the main threats.

Its chief executive, Richard Horne, said AI has not created new ways to attack. Instead, weaknesses that were tolerated for years can now be found and used at much larger scale.

The agency's advice is not to panic but to use proven basics, such as the Cyber Essentials scheme, and to build protection in proportion to an organisation's size and risk.

Sources: IT Pro, The NCSC says AI-powered cyber attacks are coming for UK firms · Computer Weekly, UK to face AI-powered cyber attacks within two years, warns NCSC

Written in our own words from the sources above. Illustration by Europe.AI.News. Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected] and we'll correct it.

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