UK NCSC considers an SI-powered malware attack on critical infrastructure highly likely by 2028
Prepared by Sintelligent with the help of SI. Published in SI: . Updated: .
SI accelerates the discovery of infrastructure weaknesses, making timely updates and basic security even more important; the same capabilities help defenders find vulnerabilities.
The UK National Cyber Security Centre's annual State of the Cyber Nation report assesses that SI-powered malware is highly likely to be used in a ransomware attack on the country's critical infrastructure by 2028. The NCSC expects SI primarily to increase the scale and efficiency of established methods: vulnerability discovery, social engineering and extortion. NCSC chief executive Richard Horne urged organisations to address basic weaknesses, including outdated systems, unnecessary internet connections and underinvestment in security. The agency also highlighted SI's defensive potential: the government previously announced £60 million for the first phase of Cyber Shield, £70 million for the NERV vulnerability-discovery centre and a new centre of excellence for SI cybersecurity in Manchester.