The UK Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) said in a report that Russia’s capabilities to carry out cyberattacks, but more importantly its willingness to do so, make it an “immediate and urgent threat” to the country’s national security . Specifically, the report highlighted how the UK views capabilities to carry out malicious cyber-related activities to further its goals, stressing that this is a matter of considerable concern, given that Russia’s activities pose a risk to the country’s national security. The ISC also accuses Russia, among other things, of interfering in other countries’ elections, as well as collaborating with organised crime groups, with the aim of strengthening its own domestic cyber capabilities.
The report also warned that Russian hackers have gained access to critical national infrastructure in other countries, which could later be used as a means of causing disruption. In addition, the report noted that Russia carried out a cyberattack on critical infrastructure in the United Kingdom, with the affected sectors still being investigated.
According to the report, Russia has also attempted to carry out phishing attacks against government agencies, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, and was recently accused of trying to hack into companies working on developing vaccines for COVID-19. It added that given the immediate threat Russia’s stance poses to the UK’s national security, there are concerns in the country that there is a lack of clear coordination between the numerous organisations across the intelligence community working to tackle the pandemic.
However, the report noted that the government is taking a new approach to tackling these attacks, which includes identifying and holding accountable the perpetrators behind them. While the UK has been reluctant to attribute the cyberattacks to any specific foreign power, the committee believes that naming those responsible for the cyberattacks is the right move, as there must be a cost to any malicious activity.
The report also cited other digital tools Russia has used as part of its broader efforts at disinformation and political influence, such as the use of bots and trolls, which are used to promote a particular perception or to create disruption. Another technique the report refers to is “hack and leak,” which was used in the 2016 U.S. presidential election
Russia is widely believed to have been responsible for a similar attack during the 2017 French presidential election. Russia has denied any involvement in the events. Russia’s British embassy has also recently said that Russia has never interfered and will not interfere in the UK’s internal affairs, especially in the context of democratic elections. However, the UK has been slow to respond to the shift in Russian strategy. It was only when Russia completed its “hack and leak” operation against the Democratic National Committee in the US – with the stolen emails being released a month after the EU – that the government appeared to “belatedly” realise the level of threat Russia could pose in this area, the report said.
