Russian-linked hackers targeted U.K. Defense Ministry staff in an espionage operation while posing as journalists, Sky News reported on May 29, citing the British government.
The cyber attack was detected and thwarted, the government said.
Speaking to reporters at a government facility where a team had disrupted the Russian-backed operation, U.K. Defense Minister John Healey revealed the formation of a new cyber command tasked with managing both offensive and defensive cyber efforts.
"The nature of warfare is changing," Healey said, according to Sky News. "The keyboard is now a weapon of war and we are responding to that."
Western officials have warned about surging cases of Russian-linked cyberattacks and other hybrid operations, primarily targeting countres backing Ukraine against Russian aggression.
Earlier this month, London accused Russia's military intelligence (GRU) of a cyber campaign targeting Western logistics and technology organizations involved in delivering foreign assistance to Ukraine.
Similarly, the French Foreign Ministry accused a GRU-linked hacker unit of escalating cyberattacks against French ministries.
Both Ukraine and Russia have also employed cyberwafare as part of the full-scale war, targeting state institutions and companies providing critical services. The U.K. is part of the intarnational IT Coalition supporting Ukrainian cybercapabilities.
Kateryna Denisova
(Updated: )
