Record number of UK businesses hit by nation state attacks as attackers weaponize AI

Date:
Wed, 18 Mar 2026 10:00:07 +0000

Description:
IT decision-makers worry about the consequences of an all-out cyber-war and
the effects on critical infrastructure.

FULL STORY
Armis report: 54% of UK firms hit by state-sponsored attacks in 2025
IT leaders warn GenAI is escalating cyberwarfare risks
Many lack expertise and budget to deploy AI-powered defenses

A record number of businesses in the UK
were hit by state-sponsored threat actors last year, as IT leaders see Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) as the tool to exacerbate the
risks.

This is according to security researchers Armis, who just released their 2026 Armis Cyberwarfare Report. Based on interviews with almost 2,000 IT decision-makers around the world, as well as proprietary data, Armis said
that more than half of UK companies (54%) reported suffering a
state-sponsored attack last year, up from 47% a year ago. The vast majority (80%) see the current political situation as significantly increasing the
risk of state-backed cyber-attacks (up from 74% year-on-year), while almost
all - 92% - said they are worried about the implications of an all-out cyber-war. Three quarters (76%) believe state-sponsored threat actors could seriously damage critical infrastructure.

At the same time, the majority of the respondents see
the rise of AI as rather troublesome. Two-thirds (69%) see the weaponization
of the technology making cyber-conflicts more persistent, and half (48%) said their business suffered an AI-powered attack last year.

AI can also be used as a defense mechanism, but most businesses havent yet gotten to that. Armis says 45% of the respondents confirmed lacking the expertise to implement and manage AI-powered security solutions , and 46%
said they lacked the proper budget.

Attackers are operating at machine speed, while too many organizations are still trying to defend themselves with assumptions and structures built for a very different threat landscape, said Nadir Izrael, CTO at Armis.
Nation-state capabilities, AI acceleration and unresolved security gaps are converging. For many organizations, its not a matter of if theyll face a
cyber warfare attack, but when and how truly prepared they are to defend themselves and protect their environment when it happens.

Via Infosecurity Magazine

Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/record-number-of-uk-businesses-hit-by-n ation-state-attacks-as-attackers-weaponize-ai

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