UK Getting Ready For A War With China

UK spy agencies urged to wage war on cyber enemies

The report says attacks in cyberspace represent a significant threat to the UK

Britain's spy agencies and military have been urged by MPs to wage cyber warfare in the interests of national security.
The Intelligence and Security Committee says defending against cyber attacks is no longer enough.
It recommends covert operations to disrupt the computer networks of those targeting the UK.
It comes almost two years after the launch of a £650m national cyber security programme.
It aims to transform the UK's cyber security skills and capabilities by 2015, with more than half of the money allocated to the intelligence and security agencies.
Last month, the head of MI5 said the agency was battling "astonishing" levels of cyber-attacks on UK industry. Jonathan Evans warned internet "vulnerabilities" were being exploited by criminals as well as states.
'Disrupt networks' The report says attacks in cyberspace represent a significant threat to the UK and defending against them must be a priority.
"We believe that there are also significant opportunities for our intelligence and security agencies and military which should be exploited in the interests of UK national security," it says.
One tactic is to employ an "active defence," interfering with the systems of those trying to hack into UK networks and accessing the data or networks of targets to obtain intelligence without being detected.
The report also suggests disrupting the networks or systems of others to hamper their activities or capabilities without detection.
It highlights the Stuxnet virus, which is believed to have caused some disruption of the Iranian nuclear enrichment programme, as being the most famous example of this type of cyber activity. But it says this did not involve UK agencies.
Chairman of the ISC, Sir Malcolm Rifkind MP, said: "The committee is concerned at the lack of progress over 18 months into the National Cyber Security Programme, more needs to be done if we are to keep ahead in this fast-paced field."
The government is to report back on the committee's report at the end of the year.

MI5 fighting 'astonishing' level of cyber-attacks

Jonathan Evans admits some threats might be "dogs that don't bark"

MI5 is battling "astonishing" levels of cyber-attacks on UK industry, the intelligence agency's chief has said.
In his first public speech for two years, Jonathan Evans warned internet "vulnerabilities" were being exploited by criminals as well as states.
The attacks were a threat to the integrity of information, he added.
Mr Evans also warned the London 2012 Olympics was an "attractive target" for terrorist groups, but said security preparations were well under way.
For this reason the Games would not be an easy target even though there was no doubt some terrorist networks had considered carrying out an attack, he said.
In the speech on Monday night, Mr Evans spoke of MI5's efforts to tackle "industrial-scale processes involving many thousands of people lying behind both state sponsored cyber espionage and organised cyber crime".
"Vulnerabilities in the internet are being exploited aggressively not just by criminals but also by states," he said.
"The extent of what is going on is astonishing."
In the past Russia and China have been cited as the countries most involved in state-based attack.
"This is a threat to the integrity, confidentiality and availability of government information but also to business and to academic institutions," Mr Evans said.
"What is at stake is not just our government secrets but also the safety and security of our infrastructure, the intellectual property that underpins our future prosperity and... commercially sensitive information."

The head of MI5 presented an overview of the threats he says Britain faces through the Olympics and beyond.
He told the audience at London's Mansion House the Games would present an attractive target since London would be the centre of worldwide attention but said MI5 was "far from complacent".
Leave has been restricted at Thames House - MI5 headquarters - and a clock in the entrance foyer counts down to the opening ceremony.

Surface-to-air missiles could be deployed at six sites in London during the Games

So far it is thought there is little credible intelligence of major threats and the overall threat level remains at substantial - a notch below the "severe" level which it stood at for many years.
Half a million people have been checked as part of the accreditation process, which MI5 has helped with, and it is thought a number of individuals have been denied accreditation based on national security checks.
Mr Evans cautioned against thinking the terror threat had evaporated in the wake of Osama Bin Laden's death.
"In back rooms and in cars and on the streets of this country there is no shortage of individuals talking about wanting to mount terrorist attacks here," he said.
In the past about 75% of counter-terrorist casework was linked in some way to Pakistan or Afghanistan. That had now been reduced to below 50%, he said.
'Better justice' "We appear to be moving from a period of a deep and focused threat to one where the threat is less monolithic but wider," he said.
"Today parts of the Arab world have once more become a permissive environment for al-Qaeda."

"It would be extraordinary and self defeating if terrorists and criminals were able to adopt new technologies... while the law enforcement and security agencies were not permitted to keep pace”

Jonathan Evans MI5

Mr Evans also said he was concerned about Iran in the wake of plots against Israeli interests in India, Azerbaijan and elsewhere.
"A return to state-sponsored terrorism by Iran or its associates, such as Hezbollah, cannot be ruled out as pressure on the Iranian leadership increases," he said.
MI5 has long had a team which looked at the dangers of hostile Iranian activities in the UK but that team is thought to have been reinforced in recent months amid fears of Tehran launching attacks in the retaliation for a strike on its nuclear programme.
In recent months legislation linked to the security services has aroused controversy.
Mr Evans said he welcomed the plans to allow sensitive intelligence material to be heard in closed court during civil cases arguing that it would allow "better justice and better accountability".
He also said the plan to allow greater collection of communications data - such as from social networks - was a "necessary and proportionate measure" to tackle crimes, including terrorism.
"It would be extraordinary and self defeating if terrorists and criminals were able to adopt new technologies... while the law enforcement and security agencies were not permitted to keep pace with those same technological changes," he said.
In a nod to those who sometimes criticise the security services as alarmist, Mr Evans ended his speech by acknowledging that some of the areas of concern he outlined might turn out to be "dogs that don't bark" but added: "The dog you haven't seen may turn out to be the one that bites you."