Five Eyes warns AI‑powered cyber attacks could materialize in months

The intelligence alliance known as Five Eyes – the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – issued a joint statement on 22 June warning that frontier artificial‑intelligence models are expected to “exceed current industry expectations” and could fundamentally transform both offensive and defensive cyber capabilities within months, not years. The agencies said AI lowers barriers for malicious actors, accelerates the speed and complexity of attacks and shrinks the window between vulnerability discovery and exploitation. They urged governments and businesses to act now: accelerate patching of critical vulnerabilities, retire or isolate legacy systems, limit unnecessary system access, adopt secure‑by‑design and secure‑by‑default practices, and empower cyber‑security leaders with the authority and resources needed. The statement also highlighted that AI can be used defensively, recommending the integration of AI tools to detect weaknesses earlier, improve software quality and respond faster to incidents. The warning follows the U.S. Trump administration’s recent order that Anthropic suspend foreign‑national access to its advanced models Mythos 5 and Fable 5, citing national‑security concerns. Officials stressed that breaches are inevitable, but preparedness can contain them and prevent escalation into major operational and financial crises, especially for small‑ and medium‑size enterprises that are most exposed.