Britain could experience disruptions to essential services, including electricity supplies and food distribution, if businesses fail to address weaknesses in their computer systems, according to the head of the country’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
Dr Richard Horne, chief executive of the NCSC, warned that artificial intelligence is making it easier for hackers to identify and exploit security vulnerabilities, increasing the risks facing critical infrastructure.
Speaking as the centre published its annual report on Tuesday, 3 November, Horne described the current period as one of “enormous consequence” for the UK’s cyber security.
He said decades of reliance on outdated technology and delays in upgrading systems had left organisations exposed to potential attacks.
Artificial Intelligence Could Increase Scale of Cyber Attacks
Horne warned that AI could allow cyber criminals to identify weaknesses in essential services and exploit them on a much wider scale.
Potential targets include electricity and water supplies, manufacturing operations and food distribution networks.
The NCSC believes ransomware criminals are highly likely to use artificial intelligence in their attacks by 2028. Hostile states, including Russia and China, are also expected to make greater use of the technology.
Horne said businesses had repeatedly avoided investing in necessary technology upgrades.
“For decades, we have collectively got away with doing tech on the cheap,” he said.
He warned that organisations could eventually be held accountable if known security risks were not addressed and attacks disrupted services.
“When food isn’t on shelves, lights aren’t on, businesses have gone under, we may have to explain that we saw the warning signs, understood the risks and still didn’t make the right choices,” he said.
UK Organisations Alerted After Supermarket Systems Were Targeted
The cyber security warning follows attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems in parts of Europe.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Horne confirmed that the NCSC had been contacting British organisations whose exposed technology could be vulnerable to similar attacks.
“We’ve been working through the night, alerting organisations where we can see they’ve got exposed technology that’s vulnerable in this way,” he said.
He also confirmed that vulnerable technology had been exploited in a small number of incidents in the UK.
Describing the cases, Horne said there had been “a couple of instances”, although the full impact of those incidents remains unclear.
Asked whether the developments supported the Government’s advice for households to keep essential supplies, he replied: “Absolutely.”
NCSC Records 1,831 Cyber Attack Reports in One Year
The NCSC received 1,831 reports of cyber attacks over the past year.
Of those, 80 were classified as nationally significant, highlighting the number of incidents considered serious enough to warrant particular attention.
The centre’s annual report also warned about the potential for artificial intelligence to increase the effectiveness and scale of attacks against businesses and essential services.
Government Advises Households to Prepare for 72 Hours of Disruption
The Government launched its ‘Be Ready’ campaign on 22 October, advising households to keep enough essential supplies to manage without electricity, water or communications for up to 72 hours.
The recommended supplies include non-perishable food, drinking water, medication, a torch, a fully charged power bank and a battery-powered or wind-up FM radio.
A wind-up radio could allow people to receive news and emergency updates if a power cut affects televisions, broadband routers or mobile networks.
The Government’s guidance encourages households to check what they already have and gradually obtain any missing items.
The advice is intended to help people prepare for possible emergencies and does not mean that a nationwide blackout is imminent.
