{"id":913854,"date":"2026-06-19T03:12:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T08:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/19\/hostile-states-launched-nearly-200-attacks-on-uk-infrastructure-in-five-months-says-ncsc-chief\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T03:12:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T08:12:21","slug":"hostile-states-launched-nearly-200-attacks-on-uk-infrastructure-in-five-months-says-ncsc-chief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/19\/hostile-states-launched-nearly-200-attacks-on-uk-infrastructure-in-five-months-says-ncsc-chief\/","title":{"rendered":"Hostile states launched nearly 200 attacks on UK infrastructure in five months, says NCSC chief"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"content-header\">\n<h2>Hackers will use AI-enabled cyber capabilities to exploit known vulnerabilities in legacy technology at scale by 2028, says National Cyber Security Centre CEO Richard Horne<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"content-center\">\n<ul>\n<li><i data-icon=\"1\"><\/i><\/li>\n<li><i data-icon=\"2\"><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"contributors-block\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Bill-Goodwin-CW-contributor-2022-140x180px.jpg\" alt=\"Bill Goodwin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.techtarget.com\/contributor\/Bill-Goodwin\">Bill Goodwin,<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Investigations Editor<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n\tPublished: <span>17 Jun 2026 18:10<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"content-body\">\n<p>The UK\u2019s critical infrastructure has faced 200 cyber attacks linked to hostile nation-state actors in the first five months of the year, the head of GCHQ\u2019s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said today.<\/p>\n<p>Over the past year, three-quarters of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366572973\/Government-not-facing-up-to-CNI-cyber-risks-committee-warns\">cyber attacks against critical national infrastructure (CNI)<\/a> \u2013 which includes hospitals, electricity, water and finance \u2013 can be traced back to hostile state actors, said NCSC CEO Richard Horne.<\/p>\n<p>Hostile states, including Russia, China and Iran, are targeting the systems that underpin the UK\u2019s essential services, Horne disclosed in a lecture at the Royal United Services Institute.<\/p>\n<p>The high number of attacks against CNI shows that cyber attacks cannot simply be treated as a risk to be managed, but as an \u201congoing contest between capable adversaries\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n<section data-menu-title=\"200 attacks against UK CNI\">\n<h2><i data-icon=\"1\"><\/i>200 attacks against UK CNI\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>The NCSC managed 200 cyber incidents affecting the UK\u2019s critical national infrastructure and its supporting ecosystem between January 2026 and May 2026, Horne disclosed.<\/p>\n<p>By 2028, the NCSC says AI-enabled cyber capabilities will likely be used by attackers to exploit known vulnerabilities in legacy technology \u201cat scale\u201d across critical national infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>Businesses, government and the private sector needed to act \u201cnow with urgency\u201d to protect their systems and protect themselves against future conflicts, which would see cyber attacks multiply.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366643315\/Vulnerability-exploitation-now-primary-origin-of-data-breaches\">vulnerabilities that organisations tolerate today<\/a> will be exploited in conflict tomorrow. If they are too expensive or hard to fix in peacetime, then they certainly will be in war,\u201d warned Horne.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn cyberspace, we are not preparing for tomorrow\u2019s conflicts \u2013 to some degree, we are fighting them today,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-menu-title=\"Cyber defence akin to football match\">\n<h2><i data-icon=\"1\"><\/i>Cyber defence akin to football match<\/h2>\n<p>Drawing an analogy, he said that cyber battle is not like a \u201cwrestling match\u201d, confined to the closed territory of a wrestling ring,<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is far more akin to a football or basketball game, played across a large field of play, where success depends on how you operate across the entire pitch,\u201d said Horne.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<div>\n<figure>\n    If we collectively embrace\u00a0the\u00a0[cyber] contest, understand the\u00a0urgency and\u00a0believe we can\u00a0be a match for any opponent, then we can and will prevail<br \/>\n   <\/figure><figcaption>\n    <strong>Richard Horne, NCSC<\/strong><br \/>\n   <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>He said coordinated action is needed across the \u201cnear, mid and far\u201d cyber spaces where we come into contact with adversaries, and that different approaches were needed in each.<\/p>\n<p>He called on every board member and executive in every organisation to strengthen their cyber resilience by focusing on three core capabilities: understanding their exposure to threats, building stronger defences based on proven security fundamentals, and ensuring they can continue operating and recover quickly after an attack<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe still see far too many significant incidents today that are possible because the fundamentals are not in place,\u201d said Horne.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe truth is that in this great contest, there are no spectators; we are all on the pitch.\u202fFrom boardrooms to IT helpdesks to sofas at home, the contest is everywhere,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we collectively embrace\u00a0the\u00a0contest, understand the\u00a0urgency and\u00a0believe we can\u00a0be a match for any opponent, then we can and will prevail.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The NCSC has published <a href=\"http:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/ncsc.gov.uk\/frontier-ai\">resources and guidance<\/a> to help organisations counter AI-powered attacks <a href=\"http:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/ncsc.gov.uk\/frontier-ai\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"DigDeeperSplash\">\n<h4>\n\t\t\t<i data-icon=\"m\"><\/i>Read more on Hackers and cybercrime prevention<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366643654\/UK-has-narrowing-window-to-stay-ahead-of-tech-threats-says-GCHQ-chief-Keast-Butler\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero Images\/cyber-security-attack-virus-malware-Skorzewiak-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/cyber-security-attack-virus-malware-Skorzewiak-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/cyber-security-attack-virus-malware-Skorzewiak-adobe.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>UK has \u2018narrowing window\u2019 to stay ahead of tech threats, says GCHQ chief Keast-Butler<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Bill-Goodwin-CW-contributor-2022-140x180px.jpg\" alt=\"BillGoodwin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Bill\u00a0Goodwin<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366642433\/BT-has-now-blocked-over-a-billion-clicks-to-malicious-websites-says-NCSC\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero Images\/cyber-security-attack-virus-malware-Skorzewiak-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/cyber-security-attack-virus-malware-Skorzewiak-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/cyber-security-attack-virus-malware-Skorzewiak-adobe.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>BT has now blocked over a billion clicks to malicious websites, says NCSC<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Bill-Goodwin-CW-contributor-2022-140x180px.jpg\" alt=\"BillGoodwin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Bill\u00a0Goodwin<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366641986\/Chinese-hackers-using-compromised-networks-to-spy-on-Western-companies-says-Five-Eyes\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero Images\/china-flag-fotolia_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/china-flag-fotolia_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/china-flag-fotolia.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>Chinese hackers using compromised networks to spy on Western companies, says Five Eyes<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Bill-Goodwin-CW-contributor-2022-140x180px.jpg\" alt=\"BillGoodwin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Bill\u00a0Goodwin<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366642156\/NCSC-heralds-end-of-passwords-for-consumers-and-pushes-secure-passkeys\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/German\/article\/easy-password-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/German\/article\/easy-password-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/German\/article\/easy-password-adobe.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>NCSC heralds end of passwords for consumers and pushes secure passkeys<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Bill-Goodwin-CW-contributor-2022-140x180px.jpg\" alt=\"BillGoodwin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Bill\u00a0Goodwin<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366644872\/Hostile-states-launched-200-attacks-on-UK-infrastructure-in-five-months-says-NCSC-chief\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Diego Kucera<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hackers will use AI-enabled cyber capabilities to exploit known vulnerabilities in legacy technology at scale by 2028, says National Cyber Security Centre CEO Richard Horne By Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor Published: 17 Jun 2026 18:10 The UK\u2019s critical infrastructure has faced 200 cyber attacks linked to hostile nation-state actors in the first five months of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":913855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39843,1066,46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-913854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hostile","category-states","category-technology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/913854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=913854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/913854\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/913855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=913854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=913854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=913854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}