AI will enable ransomware attacks on CNI
The National Cyber Security Centre expects AI-powered malware to be used in a ransomware attack on UK critical national infrastructure between now and 2028. The UK definition of critical national infrastructure covers a range of facilities and services across sectors such as energy, transport, defence, food, health, and finance. AI helps attackers scout targets, locate weaknesses in IT networks, and write malicious code. Last month, AI helped discover a critical weakness in PHP, a computer language used by 70% of the world’s websites. Richard Horne, the NCSC chief executive, says AI will uncover weaknesses in IT systems that organizations have tolerated for far too long. He expects an unprecedented rise in the number of cyber incidents in the coming months. The GCHQ spy agency’s annual review also warns that Russia and China will start using AI routinely in cyber-attacks. AI is set to increase the ransomware threat by helping attackers with tasks such as scouting targets, locating weaknesses in IT networks, and writing malicious code. Ransomware remains a signature ploy for gangs operating out of former Soviet Union states, who gain access to a victim’s IT systems and then encrypt files with bespoke malicious software. These attackers then demand a payment in cryptocurrency to unlock the crippled systems and return any stolen data. UK ransomware victims include Royal Mail, the outsourcing firm Capita, and various public bodies such as local councils.
Security threats to military and industry
Wes Streeting, the defence secretary, last month urged Britons to stock up on nine litres of bottled water and three days of food to prepare for the threat of "state-sponsored terrorism" by Russia or other hostile powers targeting everyday infrastructure. He launched the Be Ready campaign to prepare for the threat of hostile powers. Russia carries out notable campaigns that intentionally fall below the threshold of armed conflict, and Richard Horne says these attacks on British military communications networks are persistent and sustained. Such campaigns involve Moscow carrying out actions that fall below the line of warfare as they escalate attempts at hybrid warfare.
Alan Woodward, a professor of cybersecurity at Surrey University, says if nation states and companies do not get access to advanced AI technology, the bad guys will beat them to it. Leading AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic already give some companies advanced access to powerful models to help identify IT glitches. This technology helps people patch flaws. Hackers in Europe recently raised supermarket fridge temperatures to more than 50C. This incident warns companies and organizations to invest in cyber resilience because they have relied on tech on the cheap for decades.
