Technology Miraj Islam October 1, 2026 0 Comments

UK faces highest number of state-sponsored cyber attacks in Europe as AI reduces attack time from days to minutes

A new report from Microsoft shows that cyber activity is increasing around the world
AI is reducing the time scale of attacks, but it is also helping defenders detect intrusions.
UK faces most state-sponsored cyber activity in Europe

As AI becomes more available and lowers the barrier to entry for cybercrime, hackers are launching a record number of campaigns against consumers and businesses alike, experts have warned.

The UK now ranks fifth in the world among countries where customers are most frequently affected 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 country most targeted by geopolitical and nation-state cyber activity in Europe, facing 76 observed events in the last year.

AI reduces the timeline of cyber activity

Cybercriminals and state-sponsored actors are now able to mount sophisticated cyberattacks in minutes as AI compresses the attack lifecycle. Attackers no longer need to spend days mapping and planning an attack.

But the entry points haven’t changed much. Phishing attacks increased globally from 7% to 23% of incident response intrusions year over year, showing that humans remain the weakest link even as AI helps defenders improve detection.

Voice phishing is also showing significant growth as an attack vector. While staff have been educated about the dangers of email phishing, a fake call to Teams from a colleague or the IT help desk adds a sense of urgency. To that end, voice phishing has increased 502% over the past year.

Ransomware is also increasing around the world. The United States saw a 50% increase in ransomware detections, Germany saw a 276% increase, and the United Kingdom saw a 66% increase.

Attacks on state and local government, education, and critical infrastructure are also increasing. Research and academia are the most attacked, accounting for 38% of all cyber attacks against this sector, followed by transportation at 22% and government agencies and services at 13%.

“Security in the age of AI is no longer simply about preventing individual intrusions. It’s about ensuring that institutions can operate effectively in an environment where risks are interconnected, threats move faster, and attackers stay hidden longer,” said Mike Yeh, vice president of security and customer trust at Microsoft.

“Public-private partnerships are also more important than ever to secure critical government infrastructure and develop the policies and regulations necessary for emerging technologies.”