Latest
Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/2026 published[6]
It found 43% of businesses reported a breach or attack, with phishing the most common, and that few AI-using organisations had practices to manage AI risk.
Timeline
AI powered cyber attacks: how cases and guidance unfolded
The record so far mixes a handful of reported cases with official assessments, and the assessments have moved from forecast towards description.
Last reviewed against NCSC (UK), Anthropic and UK Government (DSIT and Home Office). Sources
Reading the record
Cases and assessments
Few cases here are fully documented. The Arup fraud was reported by Building on 17 May 2024 [8], and Anthropic's account of a reported espionage campaign came in November 2025 [5]. Most other entries are guidance or survey findings.
Dates are those the source pages show. Where a page gives only a month, the month is used rather than a guessed day.
See the overview for where things stand, or how to defend.
A caution on the campaign account
The Anthropic report is the company's own description. It says it assessed the campaign with high confidence as Chinese state-sponsored and that humans stayed involved at a few points [5]. Treat the figures as the company's account.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Newest first. Each entry links to its source.
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NCSC: prompt injection is not SQL injection[2]
The NCSC said prompt injection probably cannot be fully prevented and advised reducing its likelihood and impact through design.
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Anthropic publishes details of the campaign[5]
It reported about thirty targets, a small number of successes and AI doing 80-90% of the work, with humans at a few decision points.
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Anthropic detects a suspected state-sponsored campaign[5]
In mid-September 2025 Anthropic detected a campaign it assessed with high confidence as Chinese state-sponsored, in which its Claude Code tool was manipulated.
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NCSC assesses the impact of AI on cyber threat to 2027[1]
The NCSC expected AI to keep improving parts of intrusion, and warned that some systems will fall behind the threat while others stay level.
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AI Cyber Security Code of Practice published[10]
The government page presents the Code as help to secure AI systems for the organisations that develop and deploy them.
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Arup named as the deepfake fraud victim[8]
Building reported that synthetic voices and images impersonated senior officers. Arup said its internal systems were not compromised.
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NCSC publishes AI and cyber security guidance[4]
The guidance sets out risks such as prompt injection and data poisoning and asks leaders to treat security as a core requirement of AI systems.
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Arup employee in Hong Kong tricked on a video call[8]
Arup said it told police about the fraud in January 2024. HK$200m (about £20m) was later reported lost.
Key dates
The dates that matter
31 January 2025
AI Cyber Security Code of Practice published[10]
7 May 2025
NCSC publishes its assessment of AI and cyber threat to 2027[3]
13 November 2025
Anthropic publishes its account of an AI-orchestrated espionage campaign[5]
8 December 2025
NCSC says prompt injection may never be fully mitigated[2]
30 April 2026
Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/2026 published[6]
Keep reading
Read next
Questions
Sourced answers on AI powered cyber attacks: what they are, how deepfake fraud works, prompt injection, UK figures and what organisations should do.
Read the guide
AI phishing
How AI strengthens phishing and impersonation, what the UK survey shows about phishing, and the process checks that still work.
Read the guide
Deepfake fraud
How a deepfake video call led to HK$200m being sent to criminals at Arup, what Arup said, and the checks that would have put a stop in the way.
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