The Keyboard is Now a Weapon of War: Russian-Linked Hackers Posing as Journalists Target MoD

In a disturbing revelation, the British government has confirmed that Russian-linked hackers posing as journalists targeted staff at the Ministry of Defence in a sophisticated cyber spying operation. The foiled hack was part of a wave of over 90,000 cyber attacks associated with hostile states directed against the UK military and other parts of defence over the past two years.

According to Defence Secretary John Healey, the nature of warfare is changing, and the keyboard has become a weapon of war. In response to this shift, the British military is bolstering its own offensive capabilities to conduct cyber attacks against hostile states like Russia as part of a long-awaited review of UK defence. The Strategic Defence Review is expected to be published on Monday.

The government also plans to invest over £1 billion in improving its ability to hunt, locate and strike targets on the battlefield, drawing on digital technology. "In future conflict, those that prevail will be those who are not just better equipped and better trained, but better connected and capable of innovating ahead of adversaries," Mr Healey said.

The Thwarted Hack

Details of the foiled hack emerged as Defence Secretary John Healey visited a secure facility in Wiltshire where the defence team that defeated the Russian cyber attack is located. The Global Operations Security Control Centre at MoD Corsham was tasked with identifying the threat after being alerted by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

According to officials, it took about an hour to spot the attack. "MoD detected a spear phishing campaign targeting staff with the aim of delivering malware," the analysis by the NCSC said. The initial campaign consisted of two emails with a journalistic theme attempting to represent a news organisation. The second campaign followed a financial theme, directing targets to a commercial file share.

The officials revealed that the malware was linked to a Russian hacking group called RomCom, and the particular code used had not been seen before. "Corsham is famous for peacocks," one of the individuals said, referring to the name given to the particular code - "Damascened Peacock".

A New Era in Cyber Warfare

The thwarted hack highlights the growing threat of cyber attacks against the UK military and other parts of defence. The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that over 90,000 cyber attacks associated with hostile states have been directed against it and its networks over the past two years.

Part of this increase is because the military is getting better at spotting the attempts against its networks. However, it is understood that the attacks are becoming more sophisticated - making them harder to combat. The British side is trying to stay one step ahead by investing in new technologies and training more personnel to deal with these threats.

The Royal Navy's Aircraft Carrier

Meanwhile, the cyber experts at MoD Corsham are working hard to defend a major deployment by the Royal Navy's aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, loaded with state-of-the-art F-35 fast jets and protected by a task force of warships. The carrier strike group is expected to pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the coming days - well within range of an Iranian-backed militia that has targeted British and American warships and commercial shipping with missiles.

"The strike group is going through what could be a high-risk, dangerous passage," Mr Healey said. "We are closely monitoring the situation and working to ensure the safety of our personnel."