Britons must ‘strengthen defences’ against growing threat of AI-assisted ransomware, cyber security chief warns | UK News

Britons must “strengthen their defences” against the growing threat posed by ransomware developed or enhanced using artificial intelligence (AI), the head of the UK’s cyber security agency has warned.

It comes as a new report from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has found that AI is lowering the barrier of entry to novice cyber criminals.

The NCSC – which is a part of GCHQ – has also warned that bad actors are using AI to better find and target victims and that the technology will almost certainly increase the volume and impact of cyber attacks in the near term.

The agency has previously identified ransomware as the biggest cyber threat facing the UK.

NCSC chief executive Lindy Cameron said: “We must ensure that we both harness AI technology for its vast potential and manage its risks – including its implications on the cyber threat.

“The emergent use of AI in cyber attacks is evolutionary not revolutionary, meaning that it enhances existing threats like ransomware but does not transform the risk landscape in the near term.

“As the NCSC does all it can to ensure AI systems are secure by design, we urge organisations and individuals to follow our ransomware and cyber security hygiene advice to strengthen their defences and boost their resilience to cyber attacks.”

Ransomware involves hackers gaining access to a user’s system and then either stealing or locking access to files using encryption, demanding a ransom to return the data.

One of the largest incidents seen so far was the 2017 WannaCry attack, which affected computers worldwide, including car firms such as Nissan, Honda, and dozens of NHS trusts across England.

The attack, believed to have originated from North Korea, severely disrupted services and left thousands of appointments cancelled, while an October 2018 report found the hack and the fall-out from it had cost the NHS as much as £100m.

The British…