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 ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get the TechRadar Newsletter Sign up for
breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter 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. Article continues below You may
like AI powers innovation but its also powering the next wave of cyber attacks 'The total industrialization of cyber threats': Cloudflare report outlines how hackers are 'weaponizing the Internet' Businesses are finally taking action to crack down on AI security risks More persistent
cyber-warfare with AI 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 Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features
and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. The best antivirus for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best antivirus 1. Best overall: Bitdefender Total Security 2. Best for families: Norton 360 with LifeLock 3. Best for mobile: McAfee Mobile Security Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.



======================================================================
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


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)