A warning by a senior minister claims that Russia is prepared to launch cyber-attacks on its allies, including the United Kingdom, to help diminish support for Ukraine. Speaking at a Nato meeting, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden, who is responsible for national security, will describe the ‘hidden war’ being waged by Russia against Ukraine. He will also focus on Russia’s Unit 29155, which has taken responsibility for several UK and European attacks. Cyber war is both destabilising and debilitating, warns McFadden.
McFadden has revealed that Russia has the capacity to shut down power grids across the world, which would leave many citizens without electricity. It could then use this to target British businesses to achieve its broader goals of “malign intent”. The Russian cyber threat to Nato is “real”, warns McFadden, adding that allies should not be underestimating its reach. Western intelligence agencies have accused Unit 29155 of carrying out cyber-attacks against Ukraine to disrupt their operations.
Over the past few weeks, there have been several cyber-attacks on various UK councils, some of which have been claimed by pro-Russian hackers. Councils in areas including Middlesborough, Tees, Portsmouth, and Salford are said to have suffered from these attacks. McFadden believes that many of these are unofficial hacktivists, with Kremlin affiliations that are allowed to act with impunity, so long as they do not knowingly oppose Putin’s interests.
As the world moves towards total digitalisation, the threat of cyber-attacks only increases. There is a growing fear that rogue hackers could access confidential data and sensitive information about our electronic devices, posing a significant threat to national security. Russia is among the most significant players in this unregulated field, and its willingness to utilise its technological capabilities has created a sense of unease among its allies. For McFadden and his fellow ministers at Nato, their primary concern is to safeguard the digital integrity of their nations and not to fall victim to the hidden war that Russia is waging
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