The United Kingdom is likely to face faster, larger and more sophisticated cyberattacks over the next two years, with China, Russia and other nation states expected to increasingly use artificial intelligence (AI) to advance their geopolitical objectives, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned.
In its annual cybersecurity report, the NCSC said advances in AI, automation and computing power were enabling state actors to identify vulnerabilities, target victims and conduct cyber operations more efficiently.
“By 2028, it is highly likely China, Russia and other nation states will routinely use AI cyber to achieve their geopolitical goals with the UK facing an increase in scale and speed of sophisticated cyber attacks,” the report stated.
The NCSC, which is part of intelligence agency GCHQ, also warned that AI-powered malware would highly likely have been used in a ransomware attack targeting the UK’s critical national infrastructure between now and 2028.
It further cautioned that growing reliance on space-based technologies over the next decade would expand the country’s cyber threat surface, creating additional opportunities for adversaries to launch attacks.
The agency described the evolving situation as a significant challenge, noting that “the UK is operating in a more congested, competitive and technologically accelerated cyber environment”.
The report highlighted the need for the UK to strengthen its cybersecurity resilience immediately while preparing for emerging threats driven by technological advances.
The warning comes as the NCSC disclosed that it had received reports of 1,831 cyberattacks affecting UK organisations across various sectors in 2026 so far, with 80 classified as nationally significant.
