UK Cyber Agency Warns AI-Powered Ransomware Could Hit Critical Infrastructure by 2028

Britain's state cybersecurity agency on Monday warned that AI-powered malware is "highly likely" to be used in a ransomware attack on the UK's critical national infrastructure between now and 2028.

The National Cyber Security Centre, part of the GCHQ spy agency, published the assessment in its annual review. The UK's definition of critical national infrastructure covers facilities and services across sectors including energy, transport, defense, food, health and finance.

The review also warned that Russia and China will start using AI "routinely" in cyber-attacks, and said AI is set to make ransomware more dangerous by helping attackers scout targets, locate weaknesses in IT networks and write malicious code.

In a speech accompanying the review on Tuesday, NCSC chief executive Richard Horne is expected to warn of "an unprecedented rise in the number of cyber incidents" in the coming months, according to his prepared remarks. Horne will also say that communications networks used by the British military face "persistent" and "sustained" daily attacks, and that Russian campaigns have deliberately remained below the threshold of armed conflict.