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

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IT decision-makers worry about the consequences of an all-out cyber-war

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  • 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.

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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 haven’t 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, it’s not a matter of if they’ll 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

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Sead Fadilpašić

Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.

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