At the annual gathering held by the specialised tech intelligence agency, chief executive Richard Horne says that methods developed for warfare are now being used more routinely by hostile states

Russia is deploying cyber techniques used in the war in Ukraine “beyond the battlefield” while Iran is using similar methods to “support the repression of British individuals on our streets”, the UK’s top cybersecurity official has warned.

Richard Horne, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, said the UK faced a “perfect storm” of threats, with growing risks from hostile states such as China, Iran and Russia. Horne warned attackers were growing increasingly sophisticated with the NCSC handing “four nationally significant” incidents a week.

Addressing the CYBERUK conference in Glasgow this week, the NCSC leader said that developments in artificial intelligence combined with geopolitical tensions were giving rise to a period of “tumultuous uncertainty”.

Horne said there has been a marked trend in where attacks are coming from, with most nationally significant incidents originating “directly or indirectly from nation states”.

He said: “We know that China’s intelligence and military agencies now display an eye-watering level of sophistication in their cyber operations. This, combined with their whole-of-state approach, means we face more than just a capable cyber threat but a peer competitor in cyber space.”

Horne said Iran was using cyber activity to “support the repression of British individuals on our streets” who are seen as being a threat to the regime in Tehran.

“And we know that Russia is taking the cyber lessons it has learnt in a theatre of war and is moving them beyond the battlefield,” he said.

He added: “The tactics and techniques honed in conflict are now being directed at states it considers hostile. Working with our partners, including the National Protective Security Authority, we are seeing sustained Russian hybrid activity targeting assets across the UK and Europe.”

Horne said the UK had a “unique window” to learn how cyber operations had been used in conflict and “shore up our resilience at home”. 

A version of this story originally appeared on PublicTechnology sister publication Holyrood