Russia is behind the cyber attack on UK Ministry of Defence

Moscow/London – A UK expert has claimed that Russian hackers were behind the cyber attack on the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). Besides, the theft of sensitive information associated with the UK’s nuclear submarine Trident and intelligence agency GCHQ has surfaced in these cyber attacks. Moreover, it has become the third incident of Russian cyber attack on the UK in the last few months. Earlier, cyber attacks by Russian hackers on UK government departments and websites of top airports had come to the fore.

Kevin Curran, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Ulster, the UK’s leading educational institution, released information about Russian cyber attacks. A group of hackers named LockBit, associated with the Russian government, carried out a cyber attack on a company called Zaun, linked with the UK’s defence and intelligence agencies. With the help of the cyber attack, 10 GB of data was stolen, the complete information of which was later published on the dark web.

The information, published on the dark web, contains important intelligence information from intelligence agencies, including the UK’s nuclear submarine. In addition, information related to the UK’s Reaper drone campaign and electronic warfare was also said to have been stolen. Kevin Curran, the cybersecurity expert, warned that this cyber attack on the United Kingdom was very dangerous.

Furthermore, the UK has been identified as a major financial and arms assistance provider to Ukraine. Over the past year, the UK has provided Ukraine with billions of dollars in aid and promised to continue the support. At the same time, the United Kingdom seems to be pressuring even the US and NATO to assist Ukraine. Also, the UK has taken the initiative to harm the Russian economy by imposing more and more sanctions.

Against this background, Russia had consistently cautioned the United Kingdom and warned it of a befitting reply to its actions. Moreover, cyber attacks on the UK are believed to be a part of this response. Even before the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the UK agencies had accused Russia of being behind the cyber attacks in the UK. However, now, more explicit claims are being made regarding this issue.

Last month, UK officials accused Russian hackers of carrying out a major cyber attack on the network of the UK government agencies. Besides, it had come to light that Russian hackers had stolen information from 40 million voters in the UK. In addition, the UK’s top airports’ websites faced cyber attacks in July.

Furthermore, a report released by a UK-based think tank said that Russian hackers had been attacking the UK’s network for more than a year. The think tank had also claimed, citing its officials, that Russia was targeting the UK democratic systems.