Russia is ready to wage cyber war against Great Britain

2024-11-24 13:22:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Russia is poised to launch cyber attacks on the UK and other allies in a bid to undermine support for Ukraine.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden, whose role includes responsibility for national security, will tell NATO that the Kremlin can target British businesses and leave millions without power.

This is the latest in a series of warnings about Russia's cyber warfare capabilities, which McFadden will call a "hidden war" being waged against Ukraine.

It is also expected to single out Russian unit 29155, which the government says has carried out a series of attacks in the UK and Europe.

In a speech at the NATO Cyber ??Defense Conference at Lancaster House in London, the cabinet minister will warn that "cyber warfare can be destabilizing and debilitating" and describe the Kremlin as "extremely aggressive and reckless" in this field.

McFadden will focus on the threat of Russia's capacity to shut down power grids and "turn off the lights for millions of people", as well as its willingness to target British businesses "in pursuit of its nefarious purposes".

"Given the scale of this hostility, my message to members today is clear: no one should underestimate the Russian cyber threat to NATO. The threat is real," he will tell the assembled NATO allies. writes the BBC.

It will allege that Russian state-linked hacking groups have been responsible for at least nine separate cyberattacks against NATO nations, including unprovoked attacks against critical national infrastructure.

McFadden's comments are the latest in a series of warnings about growing threats of Russian cyber warfare.

In September, a joint defense briefing by Western intelligence agencies accused Unit 29155 of carrying out attacks designed to thwart efforts to help Ukraine resist a full-scale invasion by Russia.

The group is believed to be behind the poisonings of a former Russian double agent and his daughter in Salisbury in 2018.

In the UK in recent weeks, a series of recent cyber attacks have been carried out on several councils - some of which have been claimed by a pro-Russian hacker group.

Among those councils said to be targeted are in areas including Middleborough, Salford, Portsmouth and Tees./ CNA