Ministers to highlight ‘web threats’

The Government will launch a new drive today to alert the public to the threat of cyber attack, amid warnings Britain’s critical national infrastructure could be a target.

Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude is publishing an update of the Government’s cyber security strategy, including fresh measures to improve the UK’s ability to detect and defeat “high-end threats”. Officials acknowledged that “hostile foreign states and others” had targeted the systems controlling the UK’s critical national infrastructure such as power and water supplies.

They would not be drawn on the countries involved, although it has been reported that both Russia and China have carried out the reconnaissance necessary to mount a cyber attack on the US’s national infrastructure.

Mr Maude said the entire country needed to be more “cyber savvy”.