Sinister breach poses a national security worry

THE apparent ease with which hackers disrupted our health system has terrifying implications. At best this attack was launched by a meddling gang of internet pirates. But it could also be run by a large-scale criminal enterprise probing the security of Britain’s critical infrastructure. The IT departments at GCHQ and MI5 have been working against the threat of cyber crime and web terrorism for years. And that is because a statesponsored attack by Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and even Syria is regarded as a possibility. All five countries could be motivated to massively disrupt Britain’s security and undermine our sense of safety by attacking our critical infrastructure. This is because of our government’s very public stance against the behaviour of all five countries to varying degrees. Anything connected to the internet is potentially vulnerable. So fire, ambulance and police services could be at risk, along with the dams that control waterways, energy grids or, chillingly, even our nuclear establishments. The list of targets for cyber terror is enormous and not only does tackling it cost us many millions a year but it also takes up the time of Britain’s counterespionage experts. And it is a way of attacking Britain’s economy and sense of safety, without a military war. This NHS attack sends a chilling message that someone out there has managed to penetrate one of the most important IT systems in the country with seeming ease.

HI-TECH GCHQ in Cheltenham