Spy agencies warn working from home INCREASES risk of a Russian hack
Western spy agencies warn Russian hackers could target the NHS, nuclear power stations and the civil service – and working from home INCREASES the risk of a Kremlin attack
- An alert is issued by Five Eyes agencies – from Australia, Canada, NZ, UK and US
- They warn the invasion of Ukraine has increased the risk of ‘malicious activity’
- It includes a caution about using remote desktops – common for home-working
- Health services, power plants, airports and government networks are at risk
Western intelligence agencies are warning Russian state-sponsored hackers are targeting critical infrastructure – and cautioned that working from home increases the risk of a successful attack.
An alert has been issued by agencies from the Five Eyes alliance – made up of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and US.
They said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the imposition of Western sanctions on Moscow, had increased the risk of ‘malicious cyber activity’.
The warning highlighted the activities of Russia state-sponsored hackers and also cybercrime groups that have recently publicly pledged support to Vladimir Putin’s regime.
The Five Eyes cybersecurity agencies urged those working in critical infrastructure to ‘prepare for and mitigate potential cyber threats’.
Russian-linked cybercrime groups were said to have targeted critical IT systems, health services, a nuclear power plant, an airport, and government networks.
As well as Russian FSB and GRU cyber teams, the Five Eyes agencies also explained how many Russian-aligned groups had been acting in the Kremlin’s interests.
These include groups named as Killnet, Mummy Spider, Salty Spider and The Xaknet Team.
Cybercrime groups supportive of Vladimir Putin’s regime were said to have targeted critical IT systems, health services, a nuclear power plant, an airport, and government networks
The Five Eyes cybersecurity agencies urged those working in critical infrastructure to ‘prepare for and mitigate potential cyber threats’
The Five Eyes agencies issued a warning about the use of remote desktops and ‘other potentially risky services’
In their advice on how to mitigate against the Russian cyber threat, the agencies urged organisations to update software and enforce multi-factor authentication ‘to the greatest extent possible’.
They also issued a warning about the use of remote desktops and ‘other potentially risky services’.
Remote dekstops are commonly used for working from home and allows a user to connect to a computer in another location.
The Five Eyes alert stated: ‘RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) exploitation is one of the top initial infection vectors for ransomware, and risky services, including RDP, can allow unauthorized access to your session using an on-path attacker.’
They suggested that RDP only be used if deemed ‘operationally necessary’.
The warning will increase fears that UK civil servants working from home could leave Government networks more vulnerable to an attack.
The Foreign Office was reported to have begun an urgent investigation on Tuesday night into a suspected cyber hack after personal information about Government employees appeared on Russian social media sites.
Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg is currently leading a government drive get civil servants back to their desks after the Covid pandemic.
He was this week claimed to have conducted a personal headcount of officials in one Whitehall office.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay, the minister responsible for cyber security, told the Telegraph: ‘Cyber attacks recognise no physical or geographical boundary and it has never been more important to plan and invest in cyber resilience.’
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