The UK will invest £5bn into the creation of a Cyber Force unit that will strike back on cyberattacks with retaliatory hacks.
According to Bleeping Computer, the UK’s goal through the program is to strike back on ‘tier one’ attacks and target crucial sectors of hostile states including China, Russia and North Korea.
UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace stated in an interview with The Telegraph that this program will make Britain one of the very few countries globally that will have the capacity to mount offensive cyber-attacks at such a large scale.
Typical targets of the retaliatory attacks could include electric power stations, telecommunication service providers and various basic infrastructure entities where any disruption could result in large economic impact.
Wallace detailed that some foreign states and currently waging cyber warfare on the UK on a daily basis, therefore responding to this aggressively is within the rights that currently underpin international law. He added that the UK isn’t just looking to strengthen its stance against threats, but also to ‘build up its capacity to launch retaliatory assaults.
The new National Cyber Force center – based in Samlesbury, Lancashire – will be jointly run by the Ministry of Defence and the GCHQ and is expected to be fully operational by 2030.
Copyright © 2021 RegTech Analyst
Copyright © 2018 RegTech Analyst
