The United Kingdom fears cyber strikes : a warning cry and a margin for prevention

British officials fear that the country could be exposed to large-scale cyberattacks in the event of any future conflict, threatening institutions and services.

Richard Horne, Chief Executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, is expected to warn in a speech on Wednesday at the opening of the annual “Cyber UK” conference in Glasgow that the United Kingdom could face “large-scale cyberattacks” if it becomes involved in a conflict, with an impact comparable to recent major ransomware incidents.

According to the British newspaper The Guardian, Horne will stress that states now account for the largest share of incidents handled by the National Cyber Security Centre.

His speech will also include the statement: “If we were in a state of conflict, or on the brink of one, the United Kingdom would likely face large-scale cyberattacks by cyber activists, with effects and complexity similar to the ransomware attacks we are witnessing today.”

In recent years, ransomware groups that demand payments to decrypt IT systems they have encrypted have targeted numerous British institutions, including Royal Mail.

Horne emphasizes: “All public and private sector organizations must prioritize cybersecurity.”

He adds: “Organizations must ensure they fully understand the scale of the risks they face and build multilayered defenses so that any initial breach by attackers does not lead to severe consequences.”

He goes on to say that advanced artificial intelligence will expose organizations that fail to patch their cybersecurity vulnerabilities or update their legacy systems, referring to “Mythos,” a new artificial intelligence model capable of detecting security flaws.

He added that the country is not currently experiencing major new attacks thanks to advanced AI systems, but it must anticipate this threat by adopting artificial intelligence as a means of defense against attackers.