Five Eyes warns of increasing cyber threat from AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasing the speed, scale and sophistication of cyber attacks which could put government and business at significant risk within months, the Five Eyes intelligence alliance has warned.

Frontier AI models are expected to exceed current industry expectations of cyber threats, a statement from the leaders of the five cyber security agencies has said.

This will lower the barrier for malicious actors to attack both governments and businesses.

But it also said AI can be used to strengthen cyber defence, as long as security is integrated into core strategies.

Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance between the UK, Australia, the US, Canada and New Zealand.

The leaders of the countries' cyber security agencies, including Richard Horne of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, issued the joint statement warning the timeline for these more sophisticated threats was “not years, it is months”.

It said: “We must act before and be prepared to adapt and withstand evolving threats.

“Cyber resilience is not an IT issue – it is central to operational continuity and market trust. Leaders who act now will reduce exposure, strengthen resilience, and build confidence with customers, partners, and investors. Those who delay will face growing and avoidable risk.”

The statement added that organisations must deploy AI-supported cyber defence tools to detect vulnerabilities as early as possible, monitor unusual behaviour, and respond to incidents more quickly.

It called on organisation leaders to limit unnecessary system access and external connectivity, reduce delays in patching, get rid of legacy systems, enforce authentication and review permissions, and prepare for incidents by testing response plans.

While “breaches will occur”, being better prepared can “prevent escalation into major operational and financial crises”, it said.

Earlier this year, Horne warned the UK was facing a “perfect storm” of cybersecurity threats.

Addressing the CYBERUK conference in Glasgow, he said developments in AI and geopolitical tensions were giving rising to a period of “tumultuous uncertainty”.