UK critical infrastructure hit by 200 cyber incidents in a year, agency says

Head of National Cyber Security Centre says UK in ‘ongoing contest with capable adversaries’ and AI could add to threat

The UK’s critical national infrastructure has been hit by more than 200 cyber-incidents over the past year and state-linked assailants were behind three-quarters of the attacks, according to the state cybersecurity body.

Richard Horne, the chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, said hostile states such as Russia, China and Iran were increasingly targeting systems behind the UK’s key services. Examples of critical national infrastructure include the UK’s nuclear deterrent, power plants, hospitals and airports.