British Cyber Security Agency Issues An Alert

The British government's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warned on 19th April of an emerging threat to Western critical national infrastructure posed by hackers sympathetic to Russia and its war on Ukraine. Although such groups are ideologically motivated and align themselves with Russian state interests, they are "not subject to formal state control," the alert said.

Now, a government minister has warned that Russia-aligned hackers are seeking to "disrupt or destroy" Britain's critical infrastructure.

The groups have started to focus on the UK in recent months, Cabinet Office Minister, Oliver Dowden says. These groups are ideologically motivated and not formally controlled by the Russian government, making them less predictable, according to the NCSC's alert.

Russia-aligned "hacktivists" have carried out a largely harmless online campaigns that have defaced prominent public websites or knocked them offline. However, some of those groups have been actively plotting ways to do more real-world damage, according to the NCSC. 

"Some have stated a desire to achieve a more disruptive and destructive impact against western critical national infrastructure, including in the UK... We expect these groups to look for opportunities to create such an impact, particularly if systems are poorly protected," said the NCSC alert, which was released during a two-day security conference hosted by the NCSC and GCHQ in Belfast.

A successful cyber attack on critical national infrastructure such as an energy grid or water supply could be highly destructive and do serious real-world damage.

Gavin Millard, Deputy Chief Technology of leading cyber security firm Tenable observed that "Threats from state based actors against critical infrastructure isn’t new and, as we’ve seen from multiple statements from the US, is a constant issue... With an aging infrastructure and a vast attack surface vulnerable to known flaws, it’s important to know the weaknesses threat actors target and mitigate in a timely manner, as a successful cyber attack against critical assets could have wide ranging impacts to the population and economy."

In its mid-year 2022 Cyber Threat Report, US security company SonicWall identified a 23 per cent drop in the number of ransomware attempts. It attributed this to several factors, including a “downward” trend in the number of organisations willing to pay cyber criminals. “With roughly two thirds of state-sponsored cyber attacks coming from Russia, and 75% of money generated by ransomware in 2021 going to groups “highly likely to be affiliated with Russia,” anything affecting that country has an outsized effect on cybercriminals, and in turn, cybercrime,” says the SonicWall Report.

Meanwhile, there has been increased government and law-enforcement focus on taking down ransomware criminals and the apparatus they use to support their business. This crackdown has come in the wake of several debilitating attacks on high-profile targets, such as the Colonial Pipeline attack in 2021.

John Fitzpatrick, CTO at cyber security services firm Jumpsec said “The specific threat that Oliver Dowden spoke of is somewhat different, these are groups sympathetic to Russia but not necessarily state-sponsored or sanctioned groups. Their capability is not to the level we typically associate with the Russian threat, and it is far less predictable... For those investing heavily in cyber resilience, this really should not change a lot, but the likelihood of Denial of Service (DoS) and other "low bar to entry" type attacks will, no doubt, increase and so it may be sensible for some organisation to validate their plans in those areas in light of this warning."

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also had some unexpected effects - many Russian based hackers have turned their attention to attacks related to the conflict, rather than ransomware, or have had their operations disrupted by sanctions against Russia.

SonicWall:        NBC:     Reuters:     FT:     BBC:   Cyprus Mail:     UPI

You Might Also Read: 

NCSC Alert: British Journalists & Politicians Are Hacking Targets:

___________________________________________________________________________________________

If you like this website and use the comprehensive 6,500-plus service supplier Directory, you can get unrestricted access, including the exclusive in-depth Directors Report series, by signing up for a Premium Subscription.

  • Individual £5 per month or £50 per year. Sign Up
  • Multi-User, Corporate & Library Accounts Available on Request

 


Cyber Security Intelligence: Captured Organised & Accessible


 

 


 

« Sharing Threat Intelligence
An Increasingly Diverse Attack Landscape »

Infosecurity Europe
CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

CSI Consulting Services

CSI Consulting Services

Get Advice From The Experts: * Training * Penetration Testing * Data Governance * GDPR Compliance. Connecting you to the best in the business.

Alvacomm

Alvacomm

Alvacomm offers holistic VIP cybersecurity services, providing comprehensive protection against cyber threats. Our solutions include risk assessment, threat detection, incident response.

BackupVault

BackupVault

BackupVault is a leading provider of automatic cloud backup and critical data protection against ransomware, insider attacks and hackers for businesses and organisations worldwide.

Resecurity

Resecurity

Resecurity is a cybersecurity company that delivers a unified platform for endpoint protection, risk management, and cyber threat intelligence.

Syxsense

Syxsense

Syxsense brings together endpoint management and security for greater efficiency and collaboration between IT management and security teams.

AV Test

AV Test

The AV-TEST Institute is a leading international and independent service provider in the fields of anti-virus research and IT security.

CERT.hr

CERT.hr

CERT.hr is the national authority competent for prevention and protection from computer threats to public information systems in the Republic of Croatia.

AFCERT

AFCERT

AFCERT is the national Computer Emergency Response Team for Afghanistan.

Protenus

Protenus

Protenus provide a solution to proactively monitor and protect patient privacy in the electronic health record (EHR).

DG Technology

DG Technology

DG Technology is a customer-centric technology expert and business consultant that delivers services and products to minimize your information security, compliance, and business risks.

Cyber Security Expo

Cyber Security Expo

Cyber Security EXPO is a unique one day recruitment event for the cyber security industry.

Absio

Absio

Absio provides the technology you need to build data security directly into your software by default, and the design and development services you need to make it happen.

BIG Cyber

BIG Cyber

BIG Cyber is a specialized Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) dedicated to bringing military grade cyber security technology to the gaming industry.

TotalAV

TotalAV

TotalAV Antivirus is a free-to-use app packed with all the essential features to find and remove malware, keeping you safe.

HackNotice

HackNotice

HackNotice Teams is an all-in-one encompassing tool that monitors threats within your organization, different vendors, and third parties whose services you use.

Fibernet

Fibernet

Fibernet's innovative solutions in the fields of cybersecurity and fiber optics range from telecommunications infrastructure to small business cybersecurity.

Datapac

Datapac

Datapac is one of Ireland’s largest and most successful ICT solutions and services providers. We have been at the forefront of technology innovation in Ireland for the past three decades.

Applied Connective Technologies

Applied Connective Technologies

Applied Connective is one team for all your technology needs, from IT to phones, cyber security to physical security, audio/video and the infrastructure to support it.

Hummingbird International

Hummingbird International

Hummingbird International, LLC offers services for the collection, audit, computer recycling and safe disposal of laptops, monitor/LCD, hard drives, and IT disposal.

One Step Secure IT

One Step Secure IT

One Step provide Managed IT Services, Cybersecurity Protections, and Compliance to businesses in the USA nationwide.

ioSENTRIX

ioSENTRIX

ioSENTRIX offers tailored, risk-focused assessments that reduce true business risk.