UK spies uncover barrage of Russian cyber attacks
BRITISH spies have exposed more “reckless and indiscriminate” cyber attacks by Russia’s GRU agency, it emerged last night.
Defence experts warned that hackers have targeted political parties, banks, businesses, media and sports institutions trying to influence elections and cause chaos worldwide.
They fear Russia is developing cyber weapons which could “cripple modern society” in an all-out attack.
The warnings, following crucial work by the National Cyber Security Centre, came as President Vladimir Putin dismissed Salisbury poisoning target Sergei Skripal as a traitor.
He labelled the former spy “simply a scumbag” and ridiculed the idea that Kremlin agents had been sent to Britain to kill anyone as “rubbish”.
Ransom
GRU hackers operate using a dozen different names or tags such as Fancy Bear and BadRabbit.
Earlier this year intelligence chiefs discovered the GRU had targeted financial, energy and government sectors in the Ukraine, disrupting rail and air travel.
In 2017 they infected thousands of internet routers across the world and demanded ransom payments.
British cycling champions Sir Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome both came under fire after Fancy Bear hackers stole athletes’ medical records from the World Anti-Doping Agency.
And the same criminals are being blamed for an attack on America’s Democratic Party which was aimed at rocking a presidential campaign.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “These cyber attacks serve no legitimate national security interest, instead impacting the ability of people to go about their lives free from interference and even to enjoy sport.
“The GRU’s actions are reckless and indiscriminate. They try to undermine elections in other countries. They are even prepared to damage Russian companies and Russian citizens.
“This behaviour demonstrates their desire to operate without regard to law or established norms and to do so with a feeling of impunity.”
Dr Julian Lewis, chairman of Parliament’s Defence Select Committee, said: “What we are seeing is, just like how they have used oil and gas to strong-arm its neighbours, Russia is using its digital arsenal both to intimidate and develop the capability that could potentially cripple modern society.
“If they were to launch it on a fullscale basis, that would be tantamount to an act of war.”
President Putin yesterday claimed Mr Skripal, who was poisoned with his daughter Yulia in March, was a “traitor to the motherland” who had served five years in prison. He said: “I see that some of your colleagues are pushing the theory that Mr Skripal was almost some kind of human rights activist. He was simply a scumbag.”
The Russian president also insulted Charlie Rowley and his former partner Dawn Sturgess, who died after handling the nerve agent, as he yet again denied any Moscow involvement.
He said: “What, did some guys rock up and start poisoning homeless people over there? What rubbish.”
But Tory MP Bob Seely, an expert on Russia, said: “This appears to be a GRU-planned poisoning and the order can only have come from the Russian head of state.”