Russia ready to wage cyber war on UK, minister to say
A senior minister will later warn that Russia is preparing to launch cyberattacks against Britain and other allies in a bid to undermine support for Ukraine.
Pat McFadden, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, will tell a Nato meeting that the Kremlin could target British businesses, leaving millions without power.
It’s the latest in a series of warnings about Russia’s cyberwarfare capabilities, which McFadden has called a “hidden war” against Ukraine.
He is also expected to single out Russia’s Unit 29155, which the government says has carried out a number of attacks in the UK and Europe.
Speaking at a NATO cyber defense conference at Lancaster House in London, cabinet ministers will warn that “cyber warfare can be destabilizing and debilitating” and describe the Kremlin as “unusually aggressive and reckless” in this area. .
McFadden will focus on the threat posed by Russia’s ability to shut down the grid and “turn off the lights for millions of people”, as well as Russia’s willingness to target British businesses “in pursuit of its nefarious goals”.
“Given the scale of this hostility, my message to member states today is clear: No one should underestimate the Russian cyber threat to NATO. The threat is real,” he will tell gathered NATO allies.
McFadden’s comments are the latest in a series of warnings about the growing threat of Russian cyberwarfare.
September, United Defense Western intelligence agencies in briefing accuse Unit 29155 of carrying out attacks aimed at disrupting efforts to aid Ukraine Defend against a full-scale Russian invasion.
The group is believed to be behind the 2018 poisoning of a former Russian double agent and his daughter in Salisbury.
A number of UK parliaments have been hit by a series of cyberattacks in recent weeks, some of which have been Claimed by pro-Russian hacker group.
The targets reportedly include areas such as Middleborough, Salford, Portsmouth and Tees.
McFadden will tell the conference in a later speech that many of the attacks were carried out by “unofficial hacktivist” gangs affiliated with the Kremlin but “with impunity as long as they do not harm Putin’s interests.”
