Russian-linked hackers posing as journalists targeted Ministry of Defence, government says

Published

1 month ago

May 29, 2025

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Russia-linked hackers posing as journalists targeted staff at Britain’s Ministry of Defence in a cyber spying operation that was spotted and thwarted, the government has revealed.

Details of the foiled hack emerged as Defence Secretary John Healey said the UK 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. It was launched by Sir Keir Starmer last July and comes ahead of a major summit of NATO allies in June.

A major new podcast series by Sky News and Tortoise which begins on 10 June will explore the state of UK defences by running a wargame that simulates a Russian attack on the UK.

“The nature of warfare is changing,” Mr Healey told a group of journalists on a visit to a secure facility in Wiltshire where the defence team that defeated the Russian cyber attack is located.

“The keyboard is now a weapon of war and we are responding to that.”

Part of this response, announced on Thursday, includes the creation of a new cyber command to oversee offensive and defensive cyber operations.

The government also plans to invest more than £1bn on 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 also capable of innovating ahead of adversaries,” the defence secretary said.

The thwarted Russia-linked hack was one of more than 90,000 cyber attacks associated with hostile states that were directed against the UK military and other parts of defence over the past two years – a doubling from the previous two years, the Ministry of Defence said.

Part of the increase is because the military is getting better at spotting the attempts against its networks. However, it is understood the attacks are becoming more sophisticated – making them harder to combat.

Late last year, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is part of GCHQ, alerted the Ministry of Defence to a suspected spear phishing campaign.

The Global Operations Security Control Centre at MoD Corsham, in Wiltshire, which defends the Ministry of Defence’s networks in the UK and overseas, was tasked with identifying the threat.

The team worked on computers inside a large, windowless hall – filled with rows of desks and a bank of large screens along one wall.

“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 who were involved revealed details of the effort during the defence secretary’s visit to MoD Corsham this week.

One of the individuals said it took about an hour to spot the attack.

Asked what it felt like to discover the intrusion, the individual said “cool”.

The malware was linked to a Russian hacking group called RomCom, a second official said.

The particular code that was used had not been seen before, so the British side gave it the name “Damascened Peacock”.

“Corsham is famous for peacocks,” they said.

The two officials are part of a team of cyber experts – a mix of military personnel, civil servants and civilian contractors – who work at the secure centre.

A key focus at the moment is protecting 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, as it travels through the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen.

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 well as commercial shipping with missiles.

The cyber experts, though, are trying to defend the deployment from cyber attacks.

Earlier in the month, US President Donald Trump struck a deal with Houthi militants to stop them from attacking ships, but the British side is still very alert to the potential threat.

“The strike group is going through what could be a high risk dangerous passage,” Mr Healey said.

Politics

Another tantrum from the Labour backbenches is inevitable

Published

4 hours ago

July 6, 2025

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Rachel Reeves hints at tax rises in autumn budget after welfare bill U-turn

In common with many parents across the country, here’s a conversation that I have with my young daughter on a semi-regular basis (bear with me, this will take on some political relevance eventually).

Me: “So it’s 15 minutes until your bedtime, you can either have a little bit of TV or do a jigsaw, not both.”

Daughter: “Ummmm, I want to watch TV.”

Me: “That’s fine, but it’s bed after that, you can’t do a jigsaw as well.”

Fast-forward 15 minutes.

Me: “Right, TV off now please, bedtime.”

(Pause)

Daughter: “I want to do a jigsaw.”

Now replace me with the government, the TV and jigsaw options with axing welfare cuts and scrapping the two-child cap, and my daughter with rebellious backbenchers.

Politics latest: Former Labour leader calls for wealth tax on assets above £10m

That is the tension currently present between Downing Street and Labour MPs. And my initial ultimatum is the messaging being pumped out from the government this weekend.

In essence: you’ve had your welfare U-turn, so there’s no money left for the two-child cap to go as well.

As an aside – and before my inbox fills with angry emails lambasting me for using such a crude metaphor for policies that fundamentally alter the lives of some of the most vulnerable in society – yes, I hear you, and that’s part of my point.

For many in Labour, this approach feels like the lives of their constituents are being used in a childish game of horse-trading.

So what can be done?

Well, the government could change the rules.

Altering the fiscal rules is – and will likely remain – an extremely unlikely solution. But as it happens, one of Labour’s proverbial grandparents has just popped round with a different suggestion.

A wealth tax, Lord Neil Kinnock says, is the necessary outcome of the economic restrictions the party has placed on itself.

Ever the Labour storyteller, Lord Kinnock believes this would allow the government to craft a more compelling narrative about whose side this administration is on.

That could be valuable, given one of the big gripes from many backbench critics is that they still don’t really understand what this prime minister stands for – and by extension, what all these “difficult decisions” are in aid of.

The downside is whether it will actually raise much money.

The super-rich may have lots of assets to take a slice from, but they also have expensive lawyers ready to find novel ways to keep their client’s cash away from the prying eyes of the state.

Or, of course, they could just leave – as many are doing already.

In the short term, the future is a bit easier to predict.

If Downing Street is indeed now saying there is no money to scrap the two-child cap (after heavy briefing in the opposite direction just weeks ago), an almighty tantrum from the backbenches is inevitable.

And as every parent knows, the more you give in, the harder it becomes to hold the line.

Politics

UK restores diplomatic ties with Syria

Published

10 hours ago

July 6, 2025

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The UK has re-established diplomatic ties with Syria, David Lammy has said, as he made the first visit to the country by a British minister for 14 years.

The foreign secretary visited Damascus and met with interim president Ahmed al Sharaa, also the leader of the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and foreign minister Asaad al Shaibani.

It marks the latest diplomatic move since Bashar al Assad’s regime was toppled by rebel groups led by HTS in December.

In a statement, Mr Lammy said a “stable Syria is in the UK’s interests” and added: “I’ve seen first-hand the remarkable progress Syrians have made in rebuilding their lives and their country.

“After over a decade of conflict, there is renewed hope for the Syrian people.

“The UK is re-establishing diplomatic relations because it is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians.”

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also announced a £94.5m support package for urgent humanitarian aid and to support the country’s long-term recovery, after a number of British sanctions against the country were lifted in April.

While HTS is still classified as a proscribed terror group, Sir Keir Starmer said last year that it could be removed from the list.

The Syrian president’s office also said on Saturday that the president and Mr Lammy discussed co-operation, as well as the latest developments in the Middle East.

Since Assad fled Syria in December, a transitional government headed by Mr al Sharaa was announced in March and a number of western countries have restored ties.

In May, US President Donald Trump said the United States would lift long-standing sanctions on Syria and normalise relations during a speech at the US-Saudi investment conference.

He said he wanted to give the country “a chance at peace” and added: “There is a new government that will hopefully succeed.

“I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special.”

Politics

Secret Service seizes $400M in crypto, cold wallet among world’s largest

Published

12 hours ago

July 6, 2025

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Secret Service seizes 0M in crypto, cold wallet among world’s largest

Secret Service quietly amasses one of the world’s largest crypto cold wallets with $400 million seized, exposing scams through blockchain sleuthing and VPN missteps.