War on terror moves into cyberspace

Published on Thursday 25 June 2009 23:04

NEW defences will be built to thwart cyber-terrorism as Britain faces growing risks of attack from other countries and groups such as al-Qaeda, the government announced yesterday.

Security minister Lord West said yesterday the UK's new Cyber Security Operations Centre will also have the ability to target enemies' computer systems.

Terrorist organisations, including groups linked to al-Qaeda, are suspected of plotting to use cyberwarfare to bring down national infrastructure through the internet, while individuals and businesses were also at risk, the minister warned.

Lord West said: "It would be silly to say that we don't have any capability to do offensive work. So far, the terrorists have not been the biggest threat in that area, but they are learning quickly."

He also suggested that government systems had probably come under cyber attack but that he did not know of any specific cases where sensitive data had been lost. BT has about 1,000 attempted cyber attacks per day on its systems, he added.

Former computer hackers are being recruited to join a new security unit at the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), a major eavesdropping centre in Gloucester.

"You need youngsters who are actually deep into this stuff – and they really get into it. If they've been slightly naughty, very often they really enjoying stopping others," said Lord West.

The measures came as Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced the UK's new cyber strategy. As part of attempts to increase defences, a new Office for Cyber Security will be set up. Mr Brown said: "Just as in the 19th century we had to secure the seas for our national safety and prosperity, and in the 20th century we had to secure the air, in the 21st century we also have to secure our position in cyberspace."

Jonathan Evans, the head of MI5, has previously warned that both China and Russia are using new technology to spy on Britain. The 225 billion Joint Strike Fighter aircraft project also reportedly suffered a security breach recently, although the manufacturers Lockheed-Martin said no classified data was stolen.

The announcement was met with criticism by opposition politicians.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Tom Brake said: "This new cyber security strategy could lead to an extension of the government's invasive counter-terrorism powers, which already pose significant threats to our civil liberties.

"It uses broad, undefined terms that risk creating panic among the public and a demand for further government powers. We must not retreat into a Cold War mentality."

Mr Brake added that it was worrying that there were no indications of the cost.

Shadow security minister Baroness Neville-Jones said the action on cyber security was long overdue: "But it is impossible to know how significant these announcements are because we do not know what funding will be made available to enhance our ability to tackle cyber threats.

"It is also not clear how these new cyber security structures fit into the existing national security machinery. The government has missed an opportunity to review and make sense of very muddled structures."

The move follows a new cyber strategy in the US, where President Barack Obama has made online security one of his top priorities since taking office.