UK Banks, Energy and Water on High Alert Over Threat of Russian Cyber Attack
Banks, energy and water companies in the UK are on high alert over a threat of a serious Russian cyber-attack. The threat comes over concern for the safety of the Russian diplomats exiled from the UK. The Bank of England, major financiers and organisations such as Water UK are currently working with the government’s National Cyber Security Centre to determine Moscow’s next move following the murder of Nikolai Glushkov.
Niklai Glushkov, a well-known Putin critic, was found dead in his Southwest London home on early last week from strangulation. Police across Britain have begun talking with Russian exiles to discuss their safety, who are believed to have been on a Russian fugitive list, published by the Russian embassy last year.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump accused Russia of cyber-attacks that targeted European and American nuclear power plants, and water and electricity systems. This is the first time the US has publicly accused Moscow of hacking into any of America’s infrastructure.
Robert Hannigan, former director of GCHQ, said “They’re [Russians] constantly being found on networks but it’s their intent that matters more than the fact they are there. The difficulty with cyber is that you can be on a network to gather intelligence or you can be on a network to do something destructive and the two look pretty much the same.“
