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RUSSIAN HACKERS POSING AS JOURNALISTS TRIED TO BREACH THE UK'S MINISTRY OF DEFENCE IN A SPY PLOT FOILED BY CYBER EXPERTS, AS ATTACKS FROM HOSTILE STATES DOUBLE IN TWO YEARS 04:43, 29
May 2025 Russian hackers posing as journalists tried to infiltrate Britain’s Ministry of Defence in a chilling cyber spy plot, but were foiled just in time. The Russian-linked operatives
launched the underhand attack in a bid to snoop on sensitive UK military secrets, the government revealed yesterday. Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed the hack attempt, which was
detected and shut down by a crack cyber unit based in Wiltshire. Officials said that the malware detected was linked to a Russian hacking group called RomCom. “The nature of warfare is
changing. The keyboard is now a weapon of war,” Mr Healey warned during a visit to the high-security site. “And we are responding to that.” The thwarted Russian hack was just one of over
90,000 cyber attacks on UK defence targets in the past two years — double the figure from the previous two. Article continues below Security sources say the surge is partly down to better
detection but admit the attacks are becoming far more sophisticated and harder to stop. The exposed cyber plot comes as tensions with Moscow continue to rise and the UK prepares to unleash
its own cyber arsenal. A new cyber command centre is being set up to lead both defensive and offensive operations against hostile states, with Russia firmly in their focus. It is part of a
wider £1 billion digital warfare upgrade to improve the government’s ability to hunt, locate and strike targets on the battlefield using digital technology. 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. "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 National Cyber
Security Centre — part of GCHQ — sounded the alarm late last year after uncovering a sinister “spear phishing” campaign aimed at MoD personnel. "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. With Russia ramping up its cyber arsenal, UK officials say it’s now more important than ever to stay ahead of the game — and
strike back when needed. Article continues below _FOR THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS AND STORIES FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE FROM THE DAILY STAR, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER BY CLICKING __HERE__._