UK firms told to boost defences against Russian cyber attacks

British firms and organisations have been urged to bolster their cyber-security defences amid fears that Russia may launch attacks on the UK.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has released new guidance to UK companies and groups as it investigates reports of “malicious cyber incidents” in Ukraine.

In January, hackers defaced over 70 Ukrainian government websites with the message: “Ukrainian! All your personal data was uploaded to the public network. All data on the computer is destroyed, it is impossible to restore it.”

It continued: “All information about you has become public, be afraid and expect the worst. This is for your past, present and future”.

NATO responded by saying it would sign a new agreement with Ukraine to work more closely on cyber defence, including giving it access to systems for sharing information on malware.

The NCSC’S director of operations, Paul Chichester, said that the attacks “bear the hallmarks of similar Russian activity we have observed before”, such as attacks in 2015 on software controlling Ukrainian power stations. Hundreds of thousands of people lost power for hours.

Russia was also blamed for attacks that defaced Georgian government and media websites in 2019. Moscow has consistently denied any involvement in international cyber-attacks.

The warning comes as tensions rise over Russia’s build-up of troops on the Ukraine border.

The centre said it was unaware of any specific threats to UK organisations, but was “monitoring the situation closely and it is vital that organisations follow the guidance to ensure they are resilient”.

Its updated advice includes fixing all security flaws in IT systems, turning on two-factor authentication (2FA) and “implementing an effective incident response plan”.

Read the new guidance at www.snipca.com/40754.