Over half (52%) of UK IT leaders believe the government cannot defend its citizens and enterprises against an act of cyber-warfare, new research from asset intelligence cybersecurity company Armis says.

This lack of faith in the government is higher than anywhere else surveyed in Europe, including Germany (40%) and France (42%). It also marks a significant change in sentiment compared to a year ago, when 77% of UK IT leaders had confidence in the UK government.

Ahead of a pivotal election year, 37% of UK IT leaders also believe cyber-war can impact the integrity of an electoral process – this spikes significantly when speaking to respondents from the government sector (60%), the medical, healthcare and pharmaceutical industry (67%) and financial services (71%).

In addition, 45% also say cyber-war can result in cyber-attacks on the media, outpacing concerns of respondents from the U.S., France and Germany.

“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,” said David Critchley, regional director, UK & Ireland, Armis.

“In this pivotal election year, it’s imperative for the government and organisations to proactively rebuild national confidence by enhancing defensive cybersecurity strategies, coming together where they can to maximise forward strides. A robust investment in cybersecurity, coupled with the deployment of AI-driven tech, is our best chance to shield society from the threat of cyber-warfare.”

The research surveyed over 2,600 global security and IT decision-makers and included proprietary data from Amis Labs.

No Borders to Cyber-warfare

The surveyed revealed troubling statistics in cyber-warfare, showing that UK organisations are in the crosshairs of global adversaries.

Over two fifths (46%) of those surveyed in the UK say geopolitical tensions with China and Russia have created a greater threat of cyber-warfare, with 45% saying Russia poses a greater threat to global security than China.

Half of businesses (50%) also believe that North Korea’s cyber capabilities have the potential to instigate a full-scale cyber-war that could cripple critical infrastructure worldwide.

Unprepared to Face the Threats

43% of UK organisations reveal their company has experienced one to two cybersecurity breaches, the research has found.

When asked if IT leaders experienced more threat activity on their organisation’s network in the past six months, 54% noted it stayed the same, while 18% saw an increase.

However, these figures rise dramatically to 37% for utilities organisations seeing an increase in attacks and 42% for those in the medical, healthcare, and pharmaceutical sector.

Despite over half (56%) of UK IT leaders stating they are concerned about the threat of cyber-warfare, only 27% of IT leaders say they have a plan in place to handle cyber-warfare and that it is not validated. 19% of IT leaders are uncertain employees know who to speak to if they notice suspicious cyber activity.

Innovation Takes a Hit

UK businesses have halted innovation efforts amid rising cyber-threats, despite the increasing sophistication of hackers.

Armis Lab researchers have confirmed several threat actors from countries including Russia, Chine, North Korea, and Iran are using AI for advanced cyber capabilities.

Despite this, nearly two-thirds (64%) of IT leaders claim digital transformation projects have been paused or pulled owing to the threat of cyber-warfare.

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Given about £27bn is spent every year on digital transformation in the UK, the impact is colossal.

One-fifth (21%) of UK organisations also say their company has not allocated sufficient budget for cybersecurity programmes, people, and processes.

“Make no mistake – we are in a cyber arms race against our adversaries and society as we know it is at risk,” said Nadir Izrael, CTO and co-founder, Armis. “Relying on legacy technologies and manual security processes is the equivalent of bringing a knife to a gunfight, given the threats we’re up against and the arsenal of nation-state actors.

“It is critical that security leaders fight fire with fire, leveraging AI-powered solutions that empower them with actionable intelligence before a vulnerability is announced, before an attack is launched and before their organisation is impacted. Forewarned is forearmed.”