# UK Says AI-Powered Ransomware Attack on Critical Infrastructure ‘Highly Likely’ by 2028

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/uk-says-ai-powered-ransomware-attack-on-critical-infrastructure-highly-likely-by-2028/
- Published: 2026-11-03T16:09:19+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T10:55:09+00:00
- Original publisher: Decrypt
- Original article: https://decrypt.co/382411/uk-says-ai-powered-ransomware-attack-on-critical-infrastructure-highly-likely-by-2028
- Topics: AI, Cybersecurity, Technology, UK, World

## Key points

- UK officials say AI-powered ransomware against critical infrastructure is highly likely by 2028.
- AI could help attackers exploit old vulnerabilities at much greater scale.
- The government has committed £130 million to cyber security initiatives.

## Summary

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre says an AI-powered ransomware attack on critical national infrastructure is “highly likely” by 2028. It warns that AI could help hostile actors carry out attacks at greater scale and speed, with disruption potentially affecting essential services and businesses.

NCSC chief executive Richard Horne said the main risk is that AI will expose and exploit longstanding security weaknesses, rather than create entirely new attack methods. He urged organisations to invest in technology security, limit unnecessary internet connections and treat Cyber Essentials as a starting point. The government has announced £60 million for a Cyber Shield, £70 million for a vulnerability centre, and a new AI Cyber Security Centre of Excellence. Evidence of criminal use of AI so far is mixed: Google reported an AI-assisted zero-day attack, while a study of more than 90,000 cybercrime forum posts found most use focused on spam and phishing.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.