Russian-aligned groups pose cyber threat to UK infrastructure: Minister

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - Russian-aligned groups pose cyber threats to the UK's critical state infrastructure, Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Dowden said on Wednesday.

"These adversaries are ideologically motivated, rather than financially motivated," Dowden said in a speech at the CyberUK conference in Belfast.

Referring to the latest assessments from the National Cyber Security Centre, he said: "The most acute state threats in cyberspace continue to come from those usual suspects - Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea."

He also announced a plan that within two years, all critical national infrastructure sectors would have to meet specific and challenging targets for their cyber resilience.

Additionally, private sector businesses working on critical infrastructure would also be brought into the scope of resilience regulations.

"Cybercrime is estimated to cost the UK billions of pounds each year," he said, citing the new figures published on Wednesday that 32% of UK businesses and charities suffered a cyber breach or attack in the past year.

"That is a third of our businesses. And ransomware continues to run rampant," he said.

Dowden also said the UK's cyber industry continues to grow “in every sense.”

In 2022, the sector's revenues exceeded £10.5 billion ($13 billion), representing a significant increase from the previous year, he said.

“And there is even more room for growth, given that we currently face a shortfall of around 14,000 cyber security professionals each year in the UK,” the minister said.