UK Cyber Centre Warns of AI Attacks by 2028 — The Independent

By 2028, the United Kingdom is likely to face cyberattacks using artificial intelligence against critical infrastructure. Richard Horne, head of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, said this while presenting the institution’s annual report, The Independent reports.

According to Horne, criminals and states are increasingly using AI in cyber operations. The technology may facilitate the creation of malware for ransomware attacks, as well as enable the identification and exploitation of vulnerabilities that have been left without proper attention for too long, on a scale that was previously impossible.

Risks to infrastructure

Horne stressed that digital technologies automate processes that are critical to everyday life. These include switching in power grids, gates at water facilities, dam operations, production lines, heating systems and refrigeration equipment.

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He mentioned recent cyberattacks on refrigeration systems in French supermarkets as an example of how vulnerable civilian infrastructure can be. The head of the NCSC also warned that executives of companies and organizations that do not invest in cyber protection and fail to update outdated technologies will have to explain possible disruptions in the supply of goods, energy and business operations.

Threats from states and criminals

The NCSC report describes Chinese cyber activity as the most complex and enduring cybersecurity challenge for the United Kingdom. It also states that the Russian Federation, an aggressor state, and China will regularly use AI to achieve geopolitical goals. According to the centre’s assessment, artificial intelligence will primarily increase the scale and effectiveness of already known attack methods, rather than necessarily help find fundamentally new vulnerabilities.

The NCSC said malicious cyber activity costs British organizations nearly $20 billion every year. According to the centre, in 2025 carmaker Jaguar Land Rover suffered more than $260 million in direct losses after a cyberattack that also affected suppliers and the British economy. Among the basic protective measures, the NCSC named timely device updates, limiting administrative access and backing up important data.