Ciaran Martin, head of UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, warns that Russia is ‘seeking to undermine the international system’.
Accusations about Russia meddling in other countries’ business have been floating around for a while now, more notably after the country was accused of interfering with the US Presidential elections. However, it seems the situation is much more drastic that what was initially acknowledged. In the summary of a speech that will be delivered today in the Times Tech Summit in London, UK’s cybersecurity centre’s head official warned that Russian hackers have tried to attack the British energy, telecommunications and media industries in the past 12 months. However, he does not provide more information on the attacks and whether they were successful.
“I can’t get into precise details of intelligence matter, but I can confirm that Russian interference, seen by the National Cyber Security Centre over the past year, has included attacks on the UK media, telecommunications and energy sectors,” Mr. Martin will say in the upcoming speech today.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) was established last year to fight cyber attacks, and has reportedly blocked millions of cyber attacks. The NCSC is “actively engaging” international partners, industry and civil society to tackle the threat, Mr. Martin will say.
“Russia is seeking to undermine the international system. That much is clear. The PM made the point on Monday night – international order as we know it is in danger of being eroded,” he will further add.
Just two days before, Prime Minister Theresa May made a bold statement, warning Russia about threatening the international order.
“I have a very simple message for Russia,” May said. “We know what you are doing. And you will not succeed. Because you underestimate the resilience of our democracies, the enduring attraction of free and open societies, and the commitment of western nations to the alliances that bind us,” May warned on Monday.
Russia has been previously accused of purposely harming US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s chances in the US election, and helping current President Donald Trump win. Russia’s role in last years Brexit’s referendum is also under scrutiny, as it has been reported that over a hundred thousand Russian-based Twitter accounts were used to post content in relation to Brexit in the days leading up to the referendum. Russia is denying the accusations but they are not putting anyone at ease.
While the cyber security centre’s official did not provide specific examples of Russia’s meddling, he did say that Europe is becoming increasingly concerned about potential Russian interference with elections.