Britain’s next major security crisis may not begin at an airport, a port or a military base - it will arrive through a home broadband connection or mobile phone, a security expert says. China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are responsible for more than 75 per cent of malicious cyber operations worldwide - and these are nations with Britain in their cyber crosshairs.
GCHQ warns of 'space between peace and war'
Anne Keast-Butler, director of the communications intelligence agency GCHQ, said Britain and its allies were in “a space between peace and war” as Russia increases its “daily hybrid activity” against the West. She warned the West would lose cyber war against Russia and other enemy states unless citizens, companies and governments started treating cybersecurity with much greater urgency. She said: “I’ve spent three decades working in national security, and the risk of miscalculation is as high as I’ve ever seen it.”
Most people barely notice how dependent everyday life has become on digital devices and networks. The average Briton interacts with a digital device every 12 minutes. From waking in the morning until going to bed, people spend more than three and a half hours on their mobile phones, while some average a staggering 7.5 hours of screen time across different devices each day.
Why everyday life is at risk
Cyber criminals are no longer interested only in stealing passwords or bank card details. Increasingly, they target the infrastructure on which daily life depends. Reading the morning news, scanning a railcard at the station, tapping in on the Tube, booking a GP or vet appointment, paying a credit card bill, messaging relatives or buying almost anything without cash all rely on digital infrastructure. Shut down the systems supporting working and private life and Tesco shelves could empty, services could be cancelled, families could be stuck at home and mobile phones could stop working.
Britain has already seen the damage that a single system failure can cause. Last November, an operator providing blood-testing services to the NHS was hit by a ransomware attack, leading to thousands of appointments being delayed or cancelled. Cyberattacks also targeted Marks & Spencer and the Co-op, disrupting in-store payment systems. At Marks & Spencer, the disruption was felt not only at the tills, but also impacted the fulfilment of online orders and segments of the company’s supply chain. The Co-op was forced to restrict access to internal systems as it attempted to contain the damage. These attacks exhibited how quickly a cyber incident can move from a company’s back office into shops, and with that, the impact on the lives of ordinary customers.
Telecommunications under threat
The UK runs on connectivity. Lose the mobile network and emergency services, banks, businesses and families will all begin to feel the strain. As one of the world’s most advanced digital economies, outperforming even Germany and France, Britain is especially vulnerable to disruption. That is why the recent global rise in cyber threats targeting telecommunications infrastructure matters. Such attacks have quadrupled in recent years.
Chinese attacks on American telecommunications providers received significant attention last year, but events even closer to home have showcased how telecommunications companies can become targets not only because of the data they hold, but because of the wider strategic role they play. Earlier this year, Telekom Srbija Group’s servers were attacked, exposing personal information held by the company. The perpetrators also attempted to extort its chief executive, Vladimir Lucic. Analysts attributed the attack to a Russian-linked actor and suggested the company may have been targeted partly because of its increasingly Western-facing direction. Telekom Srbija Group has invested in Western telecommunications infrastructure in the country and expanded partnerships with Western media groups including Newsmax and Euronews.
Preparing for the worst
Russia, China and the hacker groups they sponsor are constantly looking for opportunities to undermine their competitors in the West. Online attacks frequently originate from these countries. Yet hackers can also use far more subtle methods to infiltrate systems. Back doors can be built into almost any device connected to the internet. This is why the UK banned Chinese telecoms giant Huawei from supplying equipment for the country’s 5G network. MPs took the view Huawei was far too close to the Beijing government which, in Chinese law, could compel Huawei to hand over any and all of its UK data.
Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre has warned that ransomware could become one of the most serious security threats the country faces in the near future. At worst, Britain’s power grid could be compromised, cutting electricity across the country. Salary payments could be delayed and cash machines stop working. Deliveries could be disrupted and shop shelves left empty. Cyberattacks can also interfere in elections, threatening the public’s ability to shape the country’s future. Recent Iranian cyber attacks on local American water companies hints at what the future could hold.
Digital resilience must therefore be seen as a matter of national security rather than a technical concern. Telecommunications providers, retailers, banks and other essential businesses should be on constant alert and ready to continue operating during a major cyberattack. Britain must also invest more heavily in domestic cyber expertise and ensure that critical networks are not dependent on technology supplied by hostile states.
Cybersecurity no longer belongs to IT departments and MI5 alone. As the economy, public services and family life become ever more dependent on digital networks, every Briton has a stake in keeping them secure. Defending the nation has traditionally meant protecting Britain’s borders, ports and airports. Today, it also means protecting its servers, mobile networks and invisible digital infrastructure. The next major attack will not care whether someone voted for Brexit or how much money they have. It will not distinguish between London and Lincolnshire. It will simply expose whether Britain had the foresight to prepare for the threats of the 21st century.
