UK intelligence agencies are taking 'every possible precaution' to protect against online warfare in a strike that could cripple the NHS, transport networks and online banking
BRITAIN is bracing itself for cyber war from Russia that could cripple the NHS, transport networks and online banking.
Boris Johnson has warned the UK needs to be prepared for an attack launched by Vladimir Putin in revenge for the Syrian airstrikes.
The Foreign Secretary said UK intelligence agencies were taking “every possible precaution” to protect against online warfare.
There are fears an attack would cripple the UK - striking hospitals, transport, water or energy supplies, banks and even air traffic control.
Britain's spying agencies have been put on stand-by to hit back against the Kremlin if they launch a retaliatory attack for Britain’s role in the 105-missile blitz on the Russia-backed Syrian regime on Saturday.
It came as intelligence insiders even warned that Russia’s revenge could come in the form of ‘kompromat’ – the release of embarrassing information on leading UK politicians and celebrities.
Speaking on the Andrew Marr show yesterday, Mr Johnson warned: "You have to take every possible precaution, and when you look at what Russia has done, not just in this country, in Salisbury, attacks on TV stations, on the democratic processes, on critical national infrastructure – of course we have to be very, very cautious indeed."
And Whitehall sources said there has been a 20-fold increase in Kremlin-linked social media "bot" accounts spreading "disinformation" since the joint airstrikes.
It comes after Admiral Lord West, former Minister for Security and Counter-Terrorism, warned that Britain could be the target of a cyber attack as Putin tries to "hit back" at the UK and US.
The 69-year-old, who was part of Gordon Brown’s government until May 2010, said it is unlikely Russia would engage in tit-for-tat missile strikes with the UK but would "find other ways".
Speaking to The Sun Online, he said: "I think he (Putin) will be wanting to do something. It might be a little bit of cyber.
“He'll do something but he's not going to go for missiles in Akotiri or something like that.”
The respected retired naval officer also backed Theresa May’s decision to use military power, alongside the US and France, against the Assad regime in Syria in retaliation for the chemical attack on Douma which killed at least 70 people.
Lord West of Spithead said: "Assuming that Theresa and the allies that have got clear and equivocal proof that (Bashar) Assad did do that attack using chemical weapons, then I think it was appropriate.
"The military response was going to have to be a rap across the knuckles, or something much more prolonged.
“Something more prolonged would have had a huge risk of hitting Russian equipment.
"To have done a much bigger attack would have been quite risky, we've shown that we don't accept people to have used chemical weapons, and that's a good thing to have done.
"Hopefully, apart from a bit of huffing and puffing... it'll (the confrontation with Russia) ease away now."
Despite previous threats that Russia would react to any aggression from the West over Syria, President Putin has yet to play his hand but a cyber attack is deemed highly likely.
Experts believe hackers in Moscow are already trying to gain access to key computer networks that control British infrastructure.
Transport links, water supplies, hospitals, energy supplies or banking could be targeted in an attempt to bring the country to a grinding halt.
Russian hackers could also be backed up by trolls feeding disinformation – or so-called ‘fake news’ – in an attempt to discredit British authorities.
And security chiefs fear Kremlin-based hackers could release embarrassing information on ministers and MPs.
One source told the Times: “We know what’s in the Russian playbook, kompromat type material, we’re all prepared for that.
"We’re not saying that there’s a picture of ‘X’ that’s waiting to come out but it’ll be amazing to us if they don’t have some of that kind of material."
The US, Britain and France took part in a missile attack on Syria yesterday
Ciaran Martin, director of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), revealed just a few days ago that the threat of a cyber attack was at its highest possible level.
And defence expert Professor Michael Clarke warned: "A Russian attack in the next two to three weeks is a high threat.
"And it will be an attack on national infrastructure, not just upsetting city firms, but getting inside the transport system, or the health system, or air traffic control."
Earlier this month Home Secretary Amber Rudd claimed that Britain had been hit 49 times by Russian cyber attacks in the last six months alone.
Speaking at the Government's flagship CYBERUK security conference in Manchester , she said attempts to hack into our businesses and infrastructure was "a matter of when, not if".
She said: "Over the past six months, the NCSC has responded to 49 incidents associated with Russian cyber groups, some of which have hundreds of potential victims.”
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