Threat Intelligence

The cyber agencies of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States said advances in frontier AI may soon increase the speed, scale and sophistication of cyber operations.

The cybersecurity and intelligence agencies of the Five Eyes alliance issued a rare joint statement, warning that frontier AI advances could enable more serious cyberattacks within months, potentially altering the threat landscape faster than many organizations expect.

The statement was released by the leading cyber agencies of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, including organizations such as the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS).

According to the agencies, increasingly capable AI models could enable threat actors to conduct cyber operations with greater speed, scale, and sophistication. The agencies warned that advances in frontier AI may reduce the expertise and resources traditionally required to carry out complex cyber activities, potentially placing more powerful capabilities into the hands of a broader range of threat actors.

The Five Eyes called on organizations to take practical steps now to understand their risks, strengthen cybersecurity fundamentals, and ensure leadership is prepared to respond as threats evolve.

The statement also emphasized that responding to AI-enabled cyber risks cannot be treated solely as a technology challenge. The agencies said a “whole-of-organization and whole-of-society response is required,” with leaders across business, government, and critical infrastructure working together to improve resilience.

For organizational leaders, the agencies highlighted several priority actions. Here they are verbatim:

• Reduce your attack surface: Limit unnecessary system access and external connectivity. Challenge whether systems need to be exposed at all and isolate those that do not.
• Accelerate patching processes: AI is shortening the time between vulnerability discovery and exploitation. Delays in patching increase risk, especially for operational systems with long update cycles. Prioritize security updates accordingly to manage risks.
• Address legacy systems: Unsupported systems are easy targets. They are not just technical debt; they are strategic liabilities.
• Review and strengthen identity and access controls: Limit who can access critical systems. Enforce strong authentication and regularly review permissions.
• Prepare for incidents before they happen: Test response plans, train and prepare teams, and assume breaches will occur. Focus on fast containment and recovery.

The agencies also encouraged organizations to use AI as part of their defensive strategy, noting that the technology can help improve threat detection, accelerate incident response, and strengthen overall cyber resilience when deployed responsibly.

The Five Eyes agencies concluded by calling on leaders to act now rather than wait for future guidance or major incidents. Their message was that organizations should build resilience before more capable AI systems further compress the timeline between identifying a vulnerability and exploiting it.