Britain launches cyber warfare against jihadis
BRITAIN is using cyber warfare as a weapon for the first time in a military operation, it was revealed yesterday.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said British security services and military units are jamming the internet and hacking the social media outlets of IS in the battle for Mosul, Iraq’s second city.
Organisations such as GCHQ and 77 Brigade are understood to be using IT to increase the “fog of war”.
Jamming internet links means the terror groups cannot communicate during battle. Britain is also monitoring any “chatter” for clues to the terrorists’ tactics.
Operatives are also thought to be using social media to spread disinformation in the same way IS exploits it to radicalise and issue orders to jihadis.
Sir Michael told the RUSI military think-tank in London: “I can confirm that we are using offensive cyber for the first time.” Sir Michael said the use of computers and the internet is as revolutionary for warfare as airpower was in the First World War.
He announced a £265million, 10-year programme to boost the cyber defences of Britain’s military systems against growing attacks by states, terrorists, criminals and hackers.
He said: “Last year GCHQ detected twice as many national security level cyber incidents – 200 per month – as the year before.”
Sir Michael said cyber adversaries can target us from anywhere on the planet, “potentially dealing a sucker punch to our systems, disrupting our armaments, or our energy supplies, even government systems”.
But, he added, the UK had powerful capabilities with which to attack, too.
The offensive to retake Mosul began on Sunday.