The School of Computing Hosts BCS Event on The Future of Cyber Attacks in AI Era

On Monday 26 January, the School of Computing hosted an event examining the rapidly evolving cyber security landscape and the future of cyber attacks in the era of agentic AI. Organised by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, with support from the BCS Beds, Bucks and Northampton (BCS BBN) Branch, the event attracted industry professionals, academics and students keen to explore the expanding role of Artificial Intelligence in cyber security.

The talk was delivered by Dr Hisham Al Assam, Associate Professor in Computing at Buckingham and member of the Cyber Local Steering Group for the South-East of England, who discussed how AI is moving beyond a supporting role to becoming an active decision-maker in cyber security operations. The session focused on the significant shift from AI‑assisted to AI‑orchestrated cyber attacks. Through practical examples, Dr Al Assam demonstrated how autonomous AI agents can independently conduct sophisticated attacks, including highly convincing phishing campaigns generated using publicly available information, to autonomous network scanning to identify vulnerabilities.

Alongside outlining the risks, the Dr Al Assam highlighted the growing importance of AI in cyber defence. While human expertise remains essential, attendees were reminded that cyber security professionals will increasingly need to work in partnership with AI systems to detect and respond to emerging threats effectively.

The well-attended hybrid event received positive feedback and sparked lively discussion among both in‑person and online participants about how to remain secure in an increasingly AI‑driven digital environment.

Professor Hongbo Du, Professor of Computing at Buckingham and a Committee Member of BCS BBN Branch who coordinated the event with BCS, commented, “Events such as this highlight The University of Buckingham as a regional meeting point for open discussion on critical topics like cyber security and AI, connecting academia, industry and the public.”

Welcoming attendees to The University of Buckingham, Professor Harin Sellahewa spoke on the School of Computing’s long‑standing partnership with BCS and highlighted the two organisations’ shared commitment to increasing diversity within the tech sector, alongside strengthening engagement with industry.