UK Cyber Chief: State Actors Linked to 75 Percent of Critical Infrastructure Cyber Incidents

NCSC chief Richard Horne warned that intelligence from cyberespionage today will shape military targeting and enable mass disruption in any future conflict.

NCSC CEO Richard Horne speaks at the RUSI Annual Security Lecture in London on June 17, 2026. National Cyber Security Centre

State-linked actors were believed to be behind three-quarters of cyber incidents affecting the UK’s critical infrastructure and related organizations over the past year, Britain’s top cyber official warned, saying intelligence gathered through cyberespionage today could shape military targeting in a future conflict.

Richard Horne, CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), delivered the warning in a June 17 speech at the Royal United Services Institute’s annual security lecture in London.