Washington/London: The growing scale of cyberattacks from Russian hackers, ongoing since March, is now slowly coming to light. After the US, computer networks of the UK federal agencies were subjected to cyberattacks as well. British sources have confirmed the reports on cyberattacks, where the Defence Ministry and other crucial federal agencies were targeted. At the same time, Microsoft, a leading international information technology (IT) firm, has asserted the cyberattacks were launched in at least seven nations across the globe.
Several federal agencies in the UK have made over 50 contracts with SolarWinds. The software firm admitted that its servers were used to make the cyberattack and 18,000 of its customers could take the hit because of it. Federal UK agencies were targeted as even its Defence Ministry, Home Office, Health Ministry and Department for Education. Also, the UK’s intelligence agency GCHQ is using the software from SolarWinds.
Although complete information on the UK cyberattack is not available, local sources claim its scale is not as extensive as in the US. However, the UK National Cyber Security Centre has warned private companies to exercise extreme caution. The centre has said, ‘A new global cyberattack causes complications, and every measure is being taken to curb the threat. Companies must act expeditiously to secure their networks.’
Meanwhile, Microsoft President Brad Smith has informed the company had taken a significant hit due to the cyberattack. At the same time, Smith also warned that along with the US, the UK, Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Spain, Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), had also been targeted. He went on to say that 40 firms and agencies, which were Microsoft’s customers, were also subjected to cyberattacks. Moreover, the Microsoft chief acknowledged that the full extent of the breach was not known as yet.
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