Specialist British forces are being deployed abroad to disrupt cyber attacks against the UK's defence systems, a senior Army officer has disclosed. Major General Mike Fayers, commander of the Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force, described the teams as “hunt forces” tasked with targeting enemy hackers.
The operations often require approval from Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, with troops aiming to stop cyber attacks in their early stages before they escalate into large-scale incidents. The revelation comes amid heightened concerns over cyber threats to the UK and its allies.
Recent Cyber Attacks Foiled
Last week, a cyber attack on several blood banks in France sought to raise temperatures to extremely high levels but was thwarted before it could damage blood products or samples, authorities said. The incident followed reports that supermarkets in several European countries saw their fridges and freezers warm up after being remotely taken over, resulting in tons of spoiled food at a total cost of millions of euros.
Major General Fayers told The Times: “Our adversaries are very cunning. This is not just an MoD (Ministry of Defence) issue, this is a whole-of-UK challenge.” He added: “We’ve seen AI now exploiting vulnerabilities at a speed we have not seen before. Whereas historically we would have had a few days to fix vulnerabilities, we are now in double-digit minutes to respond to those vulnerabilities.”
Proactive Defence Strategy
Major General Fayers explained that the “hunt forces” represent a shift in focus, from defending UK territory to proactively protecting networks before cyber operations take hold. “We are trying to hunt for our adversaries in places where they prepare before they target UK military systems,” he said.
“I mean sending people physically to places to virtually hunt for the adversary to protect our systems. The threat continues to increase in both its complexity and its persistence,” he added.
Growing Threat Warnings
The disclosure comes as Britain and its allies continue to warn of growing threats. Mr Streeting has previously warned the country faces “a greater risk of war” than at any point in his lifetime. The Defence Secretary said “without a shadow of a doubt” Russia is the greatest threat facing the UK.
