A well-known Russian hacker says the UK doesn’t know how to carry out a cyber attack on Russia.
Andrei Masalovich, a tech expert who runs the YouTube channel CyberDed, made the claim in an interview with the Russian news site Moskovskij Komsomolets. He said the UK has little real experience in cyber warfare. Recently, reports said UK Labour leader Keir Starmer is exploring non-military ways to hit back at Russia.
A cyber attack is said to be one of the top options. But Masalovich said the UK wouldn’t do well in such an attack. “They don’t have the skills or experience,” he claimed. “They talk a lot about Russian hackers, but they haven’t done large cyber attacks themselves.” Masalovich warned that modern conflicts include “information wars.” He said countries now use news and social media to influence people and spread false stories.
He believes the UK’s talk about cyber threats might be a distraction or a way to shape public opinion. He even suggested UK spy agency MI6 could be planning to spread fake news online.
Earlier this year, the UK government put sanctions on ZSERVERS, a Russian cyber group linked to ransomware attacks. These gangs are part of a bigger criminal network hiding in Russia.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “Putin runs a corrupt mafia state. These cyber-criminals thrive in his system. The UK will keep working with allies to stop Russia’s cyber threats.” But Masalovich doesn’t seem worried. According to him, the UK still has a long way to go in cyber warfare.