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UK says three-quarters of cyberattacks on critical systems are linked to hostile states

By Thomson Reuters Jun 17, 2026 | 12:49 PM

LONDON, June 17 (Reuters) – Three-quarters of cyberattacks targeting Britain’s critical infrastructure can be ​linked to hostile state ‌actors, the head of the National Cyber Security Centre, Richard Horne, said in a speech on Wednesday.

• ‌Horne ​said that ⁠in the year ⁠to May 2026 the NCSC had dealt with 200 incidents involving critical infrastructure and supporting ​systems.

• He warned that hostile states, such as ⁠Russia, China and ⁠Iran, were increasingly targeting ​the systems that underpin essential ​services.

• China, Russia and Iran ‌have each denied previous accusations by Britain of malicious activity. The Chinese, Russian and ⁠Iranian embassies in London did not immediately respond to a request for ⁠comment.

• ‌Horne said “every board ⁠member and every executive, ​in ‌every organisation” had to ​strengthen cyber ⁠resilience, warning that vulnerabilities not addressed today could be exploited in any future conflict.

(Reporting by William James; Editing by ​Aidan Lewis)