For leaders
Briefing the board on AI cyber risk
In June 2026 the Five Eyes cyber agencies set out what they want leaders to do about AI. The asks are specific enough to turn into a board paper.
Last reviewed against NCSC (UK), NCSC New Zealand and UK Government (DSIT and Home Office). Sources
The statement
What the agencies said
For a board this changes the question. It is no longer whether AI will matter to your risk profile, but whether the organisation can show that its basic controls are working and that someone is accountable for them. The four asks below give a structure for that conversation, and the paper that follows turns them into questions directors can put to management.
A one-page paper
What to put in front of directors
How fast we can patch
NCSC guidance says defenders have less time to patch [4]. Report your own time to apply critical updates.
What our AI tools can do
Report how many tools are in use and which hold privileged access. The UK survey found about a quarter of AI-using organisations had security practices for AI risks [5].
Whether we can respond
Ask when the incident response plan was last tested [4]. The NCSC guidance advises an assume-compromise mindset with monitoring and defence in depth, so the useful question is how quickly a problem would be noticed and contained, not whether one can be prevented outright [4].
Avoid buying alone
The agencies say success will not come from buying more tools alone [3].
Follow with the defence plan.
Keep reading
Read next
UK statistics
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Am I exposed?
Check whether your people, internet-facing systems and AI tools are exposed to AI-assisted attacks, with sourced pointers for UK organisations.
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How to defend
A sourced plan for UK organisations to defend against AI-assisted attacks: exposure, patching, payment checks, AI tool limits and breach readiness.
Read the guideHow CyPro can help
Need a hand with any of this?
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A senior security lead who advises the board on what to fix first, what to accept and what to tell customers, and owns the decision record.
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