LONDON — The UK will likely face artificial intelligence cyberattacks on its critical infrastructure by 2028 as criminals and states, including China and Russia, increasingly use AI in their cyber activity, Britain's cyber chief warned Tuesday.That could include AI-powered malware for ransomware attacks as the technology will allow 'vulnerabilities that have been tolerated for far too long” to be discovered and exploited 'at a scale that was once unimaginable,” Richard Horne, the head of the U.K.'s National Cyber Security Center said.In a speech marking the publication of the NCSC's annual cyber report, Horne said the leaders of businesses and organizations of all sizes who have 'got away with tech on the cheap' will have to explain why 'food isn't on the shelves, lights aren't on, businesses have gone under,” if they fail to invest in cybersecurity or update out-of-date technology.Chinese cyber activity is the 'most sophisticated and sustained cyber challenge facing the U.K.” while both Russia and China will routinely use AI to achieve their geopolitical goals, the report said.
Russia is intentionally conducting cyber campaigns which fall below the threshold of armed conflict while Iran is carrying out attacks against the U.K.
and targeting individuals who are a threat to the Iranian regime, Horne said.The use of AI by states and criminals is highly likely to increase the scale and efficiency of hostile operations, but AI is more likely to be used to enhance and scale existing....
