The Five Eyes intelligence alliance has warned that AI-driven cyberattacks from hostile foreign powers could overwhelm Western governments and businesses within months, urging immediate strengthening of defensive measures.

According to a joint warning reported by the Financial Times, cyber officials from the Five Eyes alliance stated that the potential for disruptive AI-powered attacks is a matter of months, not years.

In an unusually blunt joint statement, the officials noted, "The window is measured in months, not years."

Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Originating from code-breaking cooperation during World War II and formalized through the 1946 UK-USA Agreement, the alliance is widely recognized as the world's oldest and most comprehensive signals intelligence and information-sharing network.

This warning reflects growing concerns that geopolitical rivals of the U.S., including China, Russia, and North Korea, are rapidly incorporating advanced artificial intelligence into their cyber operations.

While Five Eyes officials acknowledged that Western nations currently maintain an edge due to their integration of leading commercial AI models into military and intelligence operations, they warned that this advantage may not last long.

The alert was issued just days after reports emerged that the U.S. had ordered AI company Anthropic to restrict foreign access to its most advanced models, citing national security concerns.

Cybersecurity experts are already discovering evidence of these threats.

Google’s Threat Analysis Group reported in May that it had blocked attacks in which AI was used to discover previously unknown software vulnerabilities and convert them into functional cyber weapons.

Investigators stated that Russia-linked actors were suspected of involvement, adding that similar activities have also been associated with Chinese and North Korean hacking groups.

The Five Eyes warning underscored that next-generation "frontier" AI systems could dramatically transform both cyber offensive and defensive capabilities.

The alliance urged companies to adopt AI-powered security tools to protect critical infrastructure, warning that organizations that delay modernization will face increasing risks as adversaries launch increasingly sophisticated attacks.

The alert also highlights the intensifying strategic competition between the U.S. and China for dominance in the field of artificial intelligence.

U.S. officials have repeatedly emphasized that maintaining leadership in AI is crucial not only for economic growth but also for national security, military readiness, and the protection of critical infrastructure.

NNP U.S. = Representative Reporter Sung-Goo Hong / NNP Special Correspondent info@newsandpost.com