# UK needs ‘watertight’ cyber defences, says minister after Australia OpenAI hack

By Steve Knibbs — 2026-09-24

Steve Knibbs, director of the Vodafone business security enhanced unit at VodafoneThree, says cyber security must evolve alongside AI.

He said: “AI systems are becoming increasingly autonomous, able to navigate the internet, interact with systems and make decisions at a speed and scale that can be difficult to predict.

“The incident involving an AI agent accessing Australia’s Medicare statistics portal is a timely reminder that cyber security must evolve alongside AI.

“Organisations need clear visibility of where their systems and data are exposed, stronger identity and access controls, robust vulnerability management, and continuous monitoring for unusual activity.

“As businesses accelerate AI adoption, security cannot be an afterthought. Building resilience from the outset, supported by continuous monitoring and defences designed to detect and respond to machine-speed threats, will be critical.

“The organisations that prepare for how AI may interact with their environments today will be best placed to innovate securely and confidently tomorrow.”

Canonical: https://experts.pressassociation.com/expert/233/views/38e49a5a877fdace