Russia is preparing to launch a series of cyber attacks on the UK and other NATO members in order to weaken support for Ukraine, a senior Cabinet minister will warn in a major speech next week.
There are holes in Russia’s defenses that it will use to attack UK companies, and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, will say that allies should “not underestimate” the threat it poses.
The Sunday Telegraph was the first to report that Mr. McFadden would also say that Russia’s “hidden war” against Kyiv is cyber interference that “turns off the lights for millions of people.”
This is what the minister is likely to say at the NATO Cyber Defence Conference at Lancaster House: “Military hard power is one thing.” On the other hand, cyber war can be unstable and weakening.
In a cyber attack, Russia could turn off the lights for a lot of people. The power grids could go down. In secret, Russia is at war with Ukraine over this.
Russia will not think twice about going after British companies to achieve its bad goals.
Mac McFadden Pat
He will also say, “Given how hostile that is, my message to members today is clear: no one should underestimate the Russian cyber threat to NATO.” There is a real threat. In the cyber world, Russia is very aggressive and careless.
Unit 29155 is a Russian military unit that the government says was responsible for several attacks in the UK and Europe. Mr. McFadden is likely to specifically name this group.
He will say that there are groups of “unofficial hacktivists” and hired guns that are not directly controlled by the Kremlin but are free to do whatever they want as long as they do not hurt Putin’s interests.
The attack comes after South Korea, a NATO partner in the Indo-Pacific region, was hit because it watched as North Korean troops were sent to Kursk, where Russia is fighting Ukraine.
Many people think that the attack came from a cybergang that supports Putin. Mr. McFadden warned that these kinds of groups do not care about politics and “with just one miscalculation could wreak havoc on our networks.”
“Russia will not think twice about going after British businesses to achieve its bad goals.” “Any hole in our physical or cyber defenses will be gladly used,” he will say.
“It means making sure that businesses and other non-government groups do everything they can to keep their digital doors locked.” “Their safety is our safety.”
It is expected that the Cabinet Office minister will talk about how the UK plans to improve its defenses against new cyber threats in a speech on Monday. The minister will also talk about how the UK is increasing its work with NATO allies.
Next week, he and other top national security officials will meet with business leaders to talk about how they can stay safe.