UK Cyber Chief Warns of State Attacks

In a major policy speech, Horne revealed that the number of nationally significant cyber incidents handled by the NCSC doubled in 2025.

He urged tech firms to help build AI-powered defenses to counter the increasing sophistication of state-backed hackers.

The warning comes as the UK faces four consequential cyberattacks every week, targeting critical infrastructure and financial institutions.

Officials are particularly concerned that a direct conflict could trigger 'hacktivist' attacks at an unprecedented scale, similar to recent major ransomware incidents.