Nineteen Group, the organisers of International Cyber Expo, have revealed the results of a recent survey exploring the British public’s views on cyber warfare. The survey revealed that a significant majority, over 70% (72%) of UK respondents believe that cyber warfare is likely to be the next step in modern combat.
The research was conducted by OnePoll, on behalf of International Cyber Expo, amongst 2,000 nationally representative UK respondents (aged 16+).
Despite the UK government’s substantial investment in physical warfare, spending £54.2 billion on defence in the 2023/24 financial year, according to the UK Defence Spending report 2024, the majority of the public believes the next frontline will be in cyberspace.
In fact, over half of people (52%) said they believe cyber warfare may be the next step in warfare combined with physical tactics and a further 20% of people say that cyber warfare will outpace physical warfare entirely. Only 5% of the public believe that cyber warfare will never replace physical warfare.
Amid escalating geopolitical tensions worldwide, nearly a third (31%) of the British public admitted to feeling “scared” about the prospect of cyber warfare. Furthermore, the research found that 6% of Britons believe we are already in the midst of a “cyber war.”
“Cyberspace is the perfect grey zone between war and peace. State and non-state actors can operate in this ambiguous and frequently anonymised domain more aggressively and with greater risk appetite than they would in the physical world. The danger of miscalculation is consequently far more heightened,” said Tarquin Folliss, Vice Chairman of SASIG.
“So, the public is right to worry about conflict in cyberspace and where it could lead. Cyberwarfare, however, is unlikely to develop as an independent capability or effect. The weaponisation of cyberspace will continue to evolve as one component of the armoury that governments can call on to prosecute war,” Folliss continues.
The research also revealed what the British public are most ‘scared’ about when it comes to cybercriminal activity. The results were as follows:
- Cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure (54%)
- Nation state activities (43%)
- The use of AI in online scams (33%)
- Disinformation swaying global politics (31%)
- Cyber warfare (31%)
- Deepfake (21%)
- Phishing emails (15%)
- Social engineering (12%)
- Fake ads/giveaways (12%)
- Criminal activity doesn’t scare me (6%)
Notably, over half of the public stated they are scared of the impact of cyberattacks targeting critical national infrastructure (CNI). This includes attacks on critical services like utility providers, healthcare, government and policing. The June 2024 cyberattack on Synnovis, for example, affected NHS facilities across the UK, causing more than 200 ‘life saving’ operations to be cancelled.
To hear from leading experts in cybersecurity on the latest industry trends, research, predictions and more, be sure to attend International Cyber Expo held on the 24th and 25th of September 2024 at Olympia London.
For more news from Eskenzi PR, click here
