---
title: "The AI shift in cyber risk: why leaders must act now"
url: https://stacklist.com/card/172ba771-e908-4fb1-beed-9c685b22f520
source_url: "https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/news/the-ai-shift-in-cyber-risk-why-leaders-must-act-now"
stack: https://stacklist.com/stack/051d411e-17f2-4d44-b486-05db4dce4f11
summary: "The AI Shift in Cyber Risk addresses how artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming cyber threats and requires urgent organizational action from leaders. Five Eyes agencies call for immediate implementation of foundational security practices, risk assessment, and integration of cyber resilience into core business strategy to mitigate accelerating threats."
tags: "cyber-security, artificial-intelligence, risk-management, cyber-resilience, threat-detection, leadership, incident-response"
key_entities: "Five Eyes (organization), Artificial Intelligence (technology), Cyber Resilience (concept), Zero-day Vulnerabilities (concept), Secure-by-design (concept), Defence in Depth (concept), Attack Surface Reduction (concept)"
classification: "framework"
content_hash: "sha256:0860def62029eb546c9c00a2d63d557d0fbe8e82f2e78e4a4573fda71a78ae06"
acp_version: "0.2"
token_counts_approximate: 1740
visibility: public
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status: "final"
---

# The AI shift in cyber risk: why leaders must act now

News Download & print article PDF Download & print article PDF The AI shift in cyber risk: why leaders must act now Five Eyes cyber security agencies urge organisations to act on rapidly transforming cyber risk. Vertigo3d via Getty Images As the leaders of the Five Eyes cyber security agencies, we are united in our call to action: the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming cyber risk, and we must act swiftly to remain ahead. A call to action While Al will help us improve cyber defence over time, it also accelerates the speed, scale, and sophistication of cyber threats. Frontier Al models are anticipated to exceed current industry expectations, fundamentally transforming both offensive and defensive cyber capabilities. The timeline is not years, it is months. In this environment, cyber resilience is integral to advancing business continuity, market confidence, and long-term value. We urge leaders to: understand and assess risk, readiness and accountability prioritise foundational cyber security practices and controls empower cyber leaders with authority and resources stay actively engaged as threats and guidance evolve Success will come from getting the basics right, acting quickly, and integrating cyber security into core business strategy. Those that do not will face growing operational and strategic disadvantage. The urgency is clear AI is not a future consideration – it is already here. It lowers barriers for malicious actors and increases the speed and complexity of attacks, shrinking the window between vulnerability discovery and exploitation ever more quickly. At the same time, AI offers powerful tools to strengthen defence.  A whole-of-organisation and whole-of-society response is required Cyber risk can no longer be treated as a purely technical issue. This is a core business risk and leadership responsibility. Boards and executives should ensure cyber resilience is in place and works under pressure. It is not enough to have controls. Leaders must be confident those controls will perform during a real incident. This requires reassessing long-standing trade-offs and using AI deliberately to strengthen defence – not just improve efficiency.  Key Actions for Leaders Core principles Secure-by-design and secure-by-default must become standard practice – not an aspiration. Resilience cannot depend on a single solution or technology. Defence in depth remains essential. As AI systems evolve, new and previously unknown vulnerabilities will emerge, including zero‑day vulnerabilities. Breaches will occur. Preparedness helps you contain them quickly and prevent escalation into major operational and financial crises. Practical actions These actions are not new, but are now urgent to reduce not only technical risk, but also operational, financial and reputational exposure: 1 Reduce your attack surface: Limit unnecessary system access and external connectivity. Challenge whether systems need to be exposed at all and isolate those that do not. 2 Accelerate patching processes: AI is shortening the time between vulnerability discovery and exploitation. Delays in patching increase risk, especially for operational systems with long update cycles. Prioritise security updates accordingly to manage risks. 3 Address legacy systems: Unsupported systems are easy targets. They are not just technical debt, they are strategic liabilities. 4 Review and strengthen identity and access controls: Limit who can access critical systems. Enforce strong authentication and regularly review permissions. 5 Prepare for incidents before they happen: Test response plans, train and prepare teams, and assume breaches will occur. Focus on fast containment and recovery. Use AI to strengthen defence Adversaries are already using AI to move faster and more effectively. Defenders must do the same. Organisations that integrate AI tools into their security operations can detect vulnerabilities earlier, improve software quality, monitor unusual behaviour, and respond faster to incidents – reducing both the cost and impact of incidents. Success will not come from having the most tools. It will come from getting the basics right, acting quickly, and integrating cyber security into core business strategy. We must act now The rapid pace of frontier AI development means cyber risk assumptions can become outdated in months, not years. 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. Our Five Eyes cyber security partnership is deep and transparent. The way we share cyber threat information is critical to our collective security. In that spirit, we call on leaders across industry – including vendors – to act now and work together to protect our people and secure our future. Stephanie Crowe - Head Australian Cyber Security Centre, Australian Signals Directorate Rajiv Gupta - Head Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, Communications Security Establishment Catriona Robinson - Head of the National Cyber Security Centre, Government Communications Security Bureau Richard Horne - Chief Executive Officer, National Cyber Security Centre David Imbordino - Director Cyber Security Directorate, National Security Agency Nick Andersen - Acting Director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Downloads Pdf 0 bytes Five Eyes cyber security agencies statement The AI shift in cyber risk: why leaders must act now. Share and print this article Download & print article PDF Download & print article PDF Share Share Close share options Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on X Copy Link Published Publish date 22 June 2026 Written for Written for Cyber security professionals Large organisations Public sector Small & medium sized organisations News type Statement Was this article helpful? Yes the article was helpful No the article was not helpful Close Feedback Form Back to top Share Close share options Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on X Copy Link Also see News Publish date 17 Jun 2026 NCSC CEO: Hostile states linked to three-quarters of cyber attacks affecting UK's critical systems Dr Richard Horne highlighted the scale of cyber threats against the UK’s critical infrastructure at RUSI’s Annual Security Lecture. Blog Post Publish date 1 May 2026 Preparing for a ‘vulnerability patch wave’ Organisations must act now to prepare for a wave of patches that will address decades of technical debt. Blog Post Publish date 15 Apr 2026 Retaining defensive advantage in the age of frontier AI cyber capabilities As AI accelerates vulnerability discovery, organisations must raise their security baselines to safeguard their cyber security.