AI malware attacks likely within 2 years: UK cyber cheif - The News International
It is "highly likely" that AI-powered malware will be used in a ransomware attack on the UK before 2028, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warns in its annual State of the Cyber Nation report, published Tuesday.
The agency says critical infrastructure, including airports, hospitals and power stations, is the area at risk.
The report says hostile actors will use AI to increase the scale and efficiency of their operations. It expects Russia and China to use AI more routinely and calls Chinese cyber activity the most sophisticated and sustained challenge facing the UK.
In a ransomware attack, criminals use malware to lock a victim's files, devices or network, then demand payment to restore access.
The chief of NCSC, Richard Horne, says technology is what drives the automation of physical processes which are essential in modern-day living, such as electricity, production lines, heating, and refrigeration.Β
This comes in light of the recent attacks experienced in French supermarkets that targeted refrigeration facilities.
The vulnerabilities that were tolerated for decades can now be found and abused in an unprecedented way, according to Horne. He explains that the nation has been doing "tech on the cheap" over the years.Β
This comes after the discovery of a critical vulnerability in the programming languages used in most web pages.
According to Horne, all organisations should change their approaches and invest in their technologies. Leaders who wonβt do that, Horne pointed out, will have to justify to the investors, employees and clients why there is no food on shelves and no lights turned on.
Anne Keast-Butler, head of GCHQ, stated that cybersecurity became one of the front-line defences of the country.
Ahead of the budget, Chancellor John Healey announced Β£60 million for the first phase of a National Cyber Shield and Β£70 million for a National Exposure and Real-Time Vulnerability (NERV) Centre. A new AI Cyber Security Centre of Excellence will also train government specialists.
