UK hospitals could face power outages and attacks on medical devices such as pacemakers in cyber attacks linked to Vladimir Putin or other hostile states, a cyber security expert has warned.
The warning follows multiple cyber attacks that have caused supermarket fridges to lose millions of pounds worth of stock across Europe, as well as airline bomb threats that have caused disruption across the continent this week. Niklas Granholm, Deputy Director of Studies at FOI, the Swedish Defence Research Agency, spoke about the numerous disruptions that have made headlines in recent days.
Hybrid campaign warning
Speaking to the Sun, Granholm stated: “The overall picture points to an organised hybrid campaign – attacks on a broad spectrum of societal functions where the attacker is difficult or impossible to identify – by a state actor.”
The development comes as the National Cyber Security Centre stated Brits must be ready for hybrid warfare after the fridge cyber attack hit the UK after causing havoc in several other European countries. Heli Klaar, speaking to the German Marshall Fund, a US think tank, highlighted the Internet of Things (IoT) war as more European infrastructure could be targeted by hostile actors.
Medical device threats
Speaking to the Sun she said: “Lots of medical devices are connected to the internet. We don’t want to see people start dying in hospitals because of overheating or pacemakers going crazy – that’s definitely a threat.”
She added: “There are so many devices which are connected to the internet already with a very low level of security. Every national cyber agency should really urgently look into those.”
Cyber security researcher at the Royal United Services Institute Jamie MacColl has warned energy systems could be badly hit in a potential cyber attack. He said: “Electricity generation and distribution networks, things like solar inverters, aspects of kind of wind power generation. The nature of those systems means there’s huge amounts of internet connected sensors on them, which are remotely accessible. In theory, they possibly have been designed in a way that is not as secure as they could be.”
Be Ready campaign
The development follows the UK Government's new Be Ready campaign. Launched last month, the initiative aims to encourage British households to take a handful of straightforward steps to remain prepared should everyday services face temporary disruption.
Beyond this guidance, residents are being urged to get familiar with three crucial elements in their homes. To be able to shut off water, gas or electricity in an emergency, all UK households should know the location of the following: the water stop cock, the gas isolation valve, and the electricity isolation switch.
A full list of 13 things UK households should stock includes: bottled water (3 litres per person per day for at least 3 days); non-perishable food to last at least 3 days that does not require cooking or refrigerating (e.g. tinned meat, fruit or vegetables) and tin opener; hand sanitiser, wet wipes, hygiene and bathroom products; torch (battery/wind up) and spare batteries – torches are safer than candles; blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothing; FM radio (battery/wind up) to get updates during a power cut; portable power bank to charge phone and medical devices (if compatible); cash (mix of coins and notes) and cards; copies of IDs/important documents; first aid kit / first aid items; essential medication or medical supplies to last several days; baby products (e.g. nappies, wipes and ready-made formula); and pet products (food and bottled water).
