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Five Eyes agencies issue a call to action on AI[3]
The agencies said AI is shrinking the window between vulnerability discovery and exploitation, and asked leaders to assess risk and readiness.
Timeline
AI cyber attacks: how the warnings and cases unfolded
From a single deepfake fraud in 2024 to joint Five Eyes guidance in 2026, here is the sequence of public cases and official assessments.
Last reviewed against NCSC (UK), NCSC New Zealand and UK Government (DSIT and Home Office). Sources
How to read it
Cases and guidance
This is a story of assessments more than incidents. The one named case on this site is the Arup fraud, which Building reported on 17 May 2024 [7]. Most entries after that are official guidance or survey findings, and they show the advice moving from "prepare for a change" to "the change has arrived". The Five Eyes statement of June 2026 says AI "is already here" [3].
Dates are those shown on each source page. Where a source gives no date, it is left out rather than estimated.
See the overview for the current picture or how to defend.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Newest first. Each entry links to its source.
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NCSC NZ publishes frontier AI vulnerability guidance[4]
The guidance says threat actors are increasingly using AI to discover and exploit vulnerabilities, and sets out steps for network defenders.
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Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/2026 published[5]
The survey found 43% of businesses had identified a breach or attack, and that about a quarter of those using or adopting AI had security practices for it.
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NCSC: prompt injection is not SQL injection[2]
The NCSC warned that prompt injection may never be fully mitigated and advised reducing its likelihood and impact through design.
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NCSC assesses AI and cyber threat to 2027[1]
The NCSC judged that AI will almost certainly make parts of intrusion operations more effective, mainly by improving existing methods.
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Arup confirms a deepfake video call fraud[7]
Building reported that HK$200m (about £20m) was sent to criminals after an employee joined deepfake video calls with impersonated senior officers. Arup said its internal systems were not compromised.
Key dates
The dates that matter
7 May 2025
NCSC publishes its assessment of AI and cyber threat to 2027[1]
8 December 2025
NCSC says prompt injection may never be fully mitigated[2]
30 April 2026
Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/2026 published[5]
23 June 2026
Five Eyes agencies publish their call to action on AI preparedness[3]
Keep reading
Read next
Questions
Sourced answers to common questions on AI cyber attacks: deepfakes, phishing, faster exploitation, prompt injection and what UK organisations should do.
Read the guide
Deepfake fraud
How a deepfake video call cost Arup HK$200m, why staff were convinced, and the checks UK finance and service desk teams can put in place.
Read the guide
AI phishing
What the NCSC and the 2025/2026 UK survey say about AI-assisted phishing and social engineering, and how UK organisations should adjust their defences.
Read the guideHow CyPro can help
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