On Tuesday 3 November 2026 Richard Horne, chief executive of the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), gave a speech with a stark warning: artificial intelligence is helping to “industrialise” cyber attacks, and too many UK businesses remain exposed. Below is the Sky News recording (in English).
What it means for you and your business
“Industrialisation” is not a figure of speech here. A fraudster no longer has to write each fake email or hunt for weaknesses by hand – a machine can send thousands of polished messages in an hour, in Polish and in English, without the mistakes that used to give scams away. For a small Polish business in the UK – a building firm, an accounting office, an online shop – the rules change: it no longer matters whether you are “worth attacking”. Everyone is attacked, because the cost of an attack has fallen almost to zero.
On the same day we reported the NCSC warning that by 2028 AI will very likely be used against critical infrastructure, and that small suppliers are the weakest link. If your firm serves a larger client, you may be the door a criminal uses to reach them. Read our analysis.
The risk to families and children
The same tools hit homes: fake texts “from HMRC” or “from your bank”, cloned voices of relatives asking for an urgent transfer, messages to teenagers in games and on social media. Agree one family password for any call asking for money, and talk to children about never sharing codes from text messages.
Where to check
- NCSC – Cyber Essentials: the basic security certificate for small businesses.
- Sky News – recording of 3.11.2026.
Contact the editors
Not sure whether your business is properly protected, or have you been scammed? Write to us – we will tell you where to start and where to report it.
We assess factual corrections and substantive responses. Verified changes are reflected in our reporting.
Contact the editorial desk →
