UK IT leaders skeptical of government's ability to thwart cyberwarfare

Research from the asset intelligence cybersecurity company Armis indicates that 52% of UK IT leaders do not believe that the government can protect businesses and citizens from cyberwarfare. This figure represents a higher lack of faith than any other country in Europe, and marks a dramatic shift in sentiment from a year prior, when 77% of UK IT leaders expressed confidence in the British government's cyber capabilities.

The research reveals that almost half (49%) of UK firms have reported cyberwarfare incidents to the authorities. Furthermore, 37% of UK IT leaders believe that cyberwarfare could impact the integrity of electoral processes. This sentiment significantly rises among respondents from certain sectors: government (60%), the medical, healthcare, and pharmaceutical sectors (67%), and financial services (71%). Additionally, 45% of responders believe that cyberwarfare could lead to cyberattacks on the media, expressing more worry than their counterparts in the United States, France, and Germany.

David Critchley, Regional Director for UK & Ireland at Armis, stresses the need for the government and organisations to rebuild national confidence by enhancing their cyber defence strategies. He says: "The IT industry's overwhelming sentiment that the government will be unable to keep citizens safe and the country secure underscores a critical shortfall in defensive measures to date [...] A robust investment in cybersecurity, coupled with the deployment of AI-driven tech, is our best chance to shield society from the threat of cyberwarfare."

The Armis research surveyed more than 2,600 global security and IT decision-makers, including data from Armis Labs. Other key findings from UK respondents include: 46% felt geopolitical tensions with China and Russia have escalated the risk of cyberwarfare; 43% of UK firms have experienced one to two cybersecurity breaches, and of these, 18% saw an increase in threat activity in the past six months. Despite concerns, only 27% have a plan for handling cyberwarfare and 19% are uncertain who to contact over suspicious cyber activities.

Interestingly, amid concerns over rising hacker sophistication, many businesses have halted innovation. Despite threat actors from Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran using AI for advanced cyber capabilities, nearly two-thirds (64%) of IT leaders claim digital transformation projects have been paused or withdrawn due to cyberwarfare threats. Furthermore, 21% of UK organisations say they have not allocated a sufficient budget for their cybersecurity programs, people, and processes.

Nadir Izrael, CTO and Co-Founder at Armis, warns society of a 'cyber arms race' and urges organisations to leverage AI-powered solutions to prevent vulnerabilities and mitigate attacks, predicting, "Forewarned is forearmed". Armis Centrix for Actionable Threat Intelligence is promoted as an AI-based system that anticipates threats, understands their potential impact and pre-emptively neutralises them to transform the security posture from a defensive to an offensive stand.