Russia could be behind devastating cyber attacks on British soil amid an escalating campaign of hybrid attacks against Europe, Nato’s head of cyber operations has warned.
Brigadier General Ümit Ersoy told The Times that the Kremlin could be aiding ransomware groups in costly attacks on businesses like Marks and Spencer and Jaguar, which were hit hard by elusive groups of young hackers earlier this year.
“Obviously, we are talking about a rogue regime,” said Brigadier General Ersoy. “Just because we find it immoral doesn’t mean they would refrain from working with criminals.”
M&S saw its profits in the first half of this year fall 99 per cent compared to the previous year after it was hacked in April. The breach was linked to a group of young English-speaking hackers called Scattered Spider, and four people were arrested.
Another hacking group with a similar name took responsibility for an attack on Jaguar, which had to stop production at key sites following a breach in August. The hack was estimated to have cost the economy as much as £2bn.
Brigadier General Ersoy said the challenge today was far more demanding than it was even six months ago. Russia has spent years developing a “very successful” offensive cyber capability, he told the outlet’s The General and The Journalist podcast.
“The threats from state actors, non-state actors or those supported by some states are getting more sophisticated and the techniques and tactics used are progressing in a massive way.”
Brigadier General Ersoy said that after two years in the post, his biggest fear is that the West has not developed fast enough to know what is happening.
“There are 1 million scenarios that may somehow create a problem for you, so even because of a simple administrative measure that you forgot to take, anything may happen,” he said.
Just this week, senior Nato official Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone said the military alliance is considering “pre-emptive” action against Russia following a string of hybrid attacks on Europe.
He said the alliance may need to adopt a more “aggressive” approach to deter Moscow from continuing its campaign of drone incursions and cyber attacks in Europe.
A recent Financial Times investigation revealed how Nato has been put on high alert after three vessels in the Baltic Sea were accused of dragging their anchors in a bid to damage energy and communication cables, with a total of 11 incidents recorded.
Admiral Dragone told the FT that the alliance was “studying everything” in deciding how to respond.
“On cyber, we are kind of reactive. Being more aggressive, or being proactive instead of reactive, is something that we are thinking about,” he said.
Admiral Dragone argued that a “pre-emptive strike” by Nato could be considered a “defensive action”, despite it being “further away from our normal way of thinking and behaviour”.
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