- New Microsoft report shows cyber activity is increasing around the globe
- AI is reducing the timescale of attacks, but its also helping defenders detect intrusions
- The UK faces the most state-sponsored cyber activity in Europe
As AI becomes more widely available and lowers the barrier of entry into cybercrime, hackers are launching a record number of campaigns against consumers and businesses alike, experts have warned.
The United Kingdom is now fifth in the world for countries where customers are most frequently impacted by cyber threats, with the nation accounting for 3.8% of global activity, according to a new report from Microsoft.
The UK has also risen to the top as the most targeted country for nation-state and geopolitical cyber activity in Europe, facing 76 observed events in the past year.
AI reduces cyber activity timeline
Cybercriminals and state-sponsored actors are now capable of putting together sophisticated cyberattacks in minutes as AI compresses the attack lifecycle. Attackers no longer need to spend days mapping and planning an attack.
But the points of entry haven’t changed much. Phishing attacks jumped globally from 7% to 23% of incident-response intrusions year-over-year, showing that humans remain as the weakest link despite AI helping defenders improve detection.
Voice phishing is also showing significant growth as an attack vector. While workforces have been drilled on the dangers of email phishing, a fake Teams call from a colleague or IT helpdesk adds a sense of urgency. To that end, voice phishing has jumped 502% over the past year.
Ransomware is also on the rise around the world. The United States saw a 50% jump in ransomware detections, Germany increased 276%, and the UK saw an increase of 66%.
Attacks against state and local government, education, and critical infrastructure are also increasing. Research and academia is the most targeted, making up 38% of all cyber attacks against this sector, followed by transport at 22%, and government agencies and services at 13%.
“Security in the AI era is no longer simply about preventing individual intrusions. It is about ensuring institutions can operate effectively in an environment where risks are interconnected, threats move faster, and attackers remain hidden longer,” said Mike Yeh, Vice President, Customer Security & Trust at Microsoft.
“Public-private partnerships are also more important than ever for securing critical government infrastructure and developing the policies and regulations needed for emerging technologies.”
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