The Rising Threats to UK Critical National Infrastructure — and Why Cyber Resilience Matters More Than Ever

• by Olivia Lawlor-Blackburn
• Advent IM Blog Advent IM News

The UK’s Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) — the systems that keep our energy, water, transport, healthcare, finance, and digital services running — is under increasing cyber pressure. From ransomware disrupting hospital operations to supply chain breaches halting manufacturing, the threat landscape has grown both in frequency and impact.

As the government prepares to introduce the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, now is the time for organisations across all sectors to strengthen their cyber defences, understand the coming regulatory changes, and build true resilience.

The State of Play: CNI Is Under Attack

In recent years, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has reported a surge in nationally significant cyber incidents, many of which targeted the UK’s essential services.
Recent attacks — such as the 2024 ransomware incident affecting NHS pathology provider Synnovis — have shown how a single compromise can ripple across critical operations, disrupting patient care and costing millions.

Similar disruptions have hit manufacturing and logistics firms tied to CNI supply chains, proving that even organisations not formally designated as “critical” can suffer — and cause — systemic impacts.

Why Cyber Threats Are Increasing

Several factors are converging to make CNI more vulnerable:

1. Increased digital interconnectivity — modern infrastructure relies heavily on networked systems, cloud platforms, and third-party providers.

2. Supply chain vulnerabilities — attackers often exploit smaller, less secure suppliers to reach larger targets.

3. Professionalised cybercrime — ransomware-as-a-service models have lowered barriers to entry for attackers.

4. Nation-state activity — state-linked threat actors are targeting infrastructure for espionage and strategic leverage.

5. Emerging technologies — AI-driven attacks, insecure IoT, and legacy operational technology (OT) expand the attack surface.

6. Skills shortages and underinvestment — many operators struggle to maintain adequate staffing and patching capacity.

In short, the UK’s CNI is more connected, more dependent on digital systems, and more exposed than ever.

Why Cyber Resilience Is Now a National Priority

Cyber resilience isn’t just about preventing attacks — it’s about maintaining essential functions even when attacks happen.
For the UK, it’s a matter of public safety, national security, and economic stability:

• Public safety: Disruptions to energy, water, or healthcare directly impact citizens’ lives.

• Economic impact: Outages and data loss can halt production, damage trust, and cost billions.

• National security: A resilient CNI reduces the leverage of hostile states and criminal groups.

• Public confidence: Reliable essential services underpin trust in government and society.

Resilience has become an economic and national imperative — not just a technical one.

The Upcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill

The UK government is preparing to introduce the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which aims to modernise and expand the existing NIS (Network and Information Systems) framework.

The Bill will likely:

• Expand regulatory scope to include more essential services and key digital suppliers.

• Strengthen supply chain security obligations across critical sectors.

• Mandate faster incident reporting and improve transparency.

• Give regulators greater enforcement powers, including stronger fines and remediation orders.

• Align partially with the EU’s NIS2 Directive, ensuring interoperability while keeping a UK-specific approach.

The overarching goal: ensure that organisations providing essential services — and those supporting them — are resilient by design.

What Businesses Should Expect and How to Prepare

Even if your organisation isn’t a traditional “CNI operator,” you could still be affected. Many suppliers and digital service providers will fall within the Bill’s expanded scope.

Here’s what to expect — and how to prepare:

1. Wider Coverage

You may be designated as a regulated entity if your products or services are critical to an essential service.
Action: Map your dependencies and identify where you support CNI operations.

2. Stronger Supply Chain Scrutiny

Regulators and clients will demand evidence that you manage third-party risk effectively.
Action: Review supplier contracts, ensure robust security clauses, and perform due diligence.

3. Mandatory Incident Reporting

Organisations will need to report serious cyber incidents quickly and in a defined format.
Action: Test and refine your incident response and escalation procedures.

4. Higher Compliance Standards

Expect audits, documentation requirements, and penalties for non-compliance.
Action: Align with recognised frameworks like ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus, and NCSC CAF.

Final Thoughts

The UK’s CNI faces an unprecedented convergence of risks — and the upcoming Cyber Resilience Bill will raise the bar for how businesses manage them.
But for forward-thinking organisations, this isn’t a burden — it’s an opportunity to demonstrate trustworthiness, protect operations, and strengthen national resilience.

Now is the time to prepare: review your exposure, engage your suppliers, and embed resilience at every level of your business.

Want to learn more about threats to CNI?

Discover our latest podcast episode with guests Malcolm Warr, Chairman CNI Scotland, AuKUS MAST , CNIScot and James Morris OBE, Chief Executive, The CSBR.

Listen here via YouTube.

About Our Guests 

Malcolm Warr, Chairman CNI Scotland, AuKUS MAST , CNIScot

Malcolm is recognised as an international policy activist on, AUKUS, Maritime and Hi Tech Cyber challenges He focuses on improving Resilience in civic society especially protection of Critical National Infrastructure and in innovative training based on long experience and lessons learned working with Governments, Big Business, Academia and SMEs globally.

James Morris OBE, Chief Executive, The CSBR

James Morris was the Member of Parliament for Halesowen and Rowley Regis from 2010-2024  and served in a number of government roles including as a Senior Whip and Minister in the Department of Health.   He also served as Chair of the APPG for Cyber Security and Business Resilience and led debate on a range of policy issues related to cyber security.  Prior to politics James was a tech entrepreneur, management consultant and was Chief Executive of the local government and localist think tank.