NATO countries are engaged in a ‘covert cyber war’ with Russia, says Liz Kendall
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has said NATO countries are engaged in a “covert cyber war” with Russia.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden will warn in a major speech next week that Russia is prepared to launch a series of cyber attacks on Britain and other NATO members in a bid to weaken support for Ukraine.
Mr McFadden will say Moscow “will not think twice” about exploiting defense gaps to attack British companies, and that allies should not underestimate the threat it poses.
Speaking on Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme, Ms Kendall said her colleague was right when she said: “Not only is there an open military war with Russia as the aggressor, but there is also a hidden cyber war and that Russia will do everything doing. in its power to destabilize not only within Ukraine but also among NATO allies.”
She added: “So we have to be absolutely vigilant about that as a government, but also in business and wider society to protect ourselves from those cyber hacktivists.
“We’ve really focused for months on making sure that we have all the protection we need, including cyber protection, because there is a threat from Russia, this covert warfare and the overt military aggression.”
In a speech to NATO’s cyber defense conference at Lancaster House, Mr McFadden is expected to warn that cyber interference allows Russia to “turn out the lights for millions of people” and represents the “hidden war” it is waging against Kiev, if first This is reported by the Sunday Telegraph.
He will say: “Military hard power is one thing. But cyberwar can be destabilizing and debilitating. With a cyber attack, Russia can turn off the lights for millions of people. It can shut down the power grids. This is the hidden war Russia is waging with Ukraine.
“Given the scale of that hostility, my message to members today is clear: no one should underestimate the Russian cyber threat to NATO. The threat is real. Russia is exceptionally aggressive and reckless in the cyber domain.”
Mr McFadden is expected to specifically call out Unit 29155, a Russian military unit that the government says has previously carried out a number of attacks in Britain and Europe.
There are gangs of “unofficial hacktivists” and mercenaries who are not directly under the control of the Kremlin “but who are allowed to act with impunity as long as they do not go against Putin’s interests,” he will say.
It comes after South Korea, a partner of NATO’s Indo-Pacific region, was targeted in response to monitoring the deployment of North Korean troops in Kursk, where Russia is fighting Ukraine.
The attack has been widely blamed on a pro-Kremlin cyber gang, with McFadden warning that such groups act with “disregard” for geopolitics and could “wreak havoc on our networks with just one miscalculation.”
The Cabinet Office minister is expected to set out details in a speech on Monday on how Britain will seek to strengthen its defenses against emerging cyber threats, and how the country is stepping up cooperation with NATO allies.
He and top national security officials will also meet with business leaders next week to discuss how to protect themselves.
