British Defense Minister provides details of cyberattack

British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps has announced a plan to counter the recent cyberattack on the payment system of the United Kingdom Armed Forces and did not rule out that a foreign state may be behind it.

According to Yevropeiska Pravda, he said this during a speech in the British House of Commons on May 7.

Shapps pointed out that the cyberattack was aimed at a contractor of the Ministry of Defense and did not affect the department's internal systems. However, it led to the leakage of personal data of active duty and reserve military personnel, as well as some veterans: names, bank details, and in some cases addresses.

The British Defense Secretary then announced an eight-step plan that the government has taken to address the consequences of the attack. These steps include shutting down the affected system, launching an investigation, and warning British military personnel whose data may be at risk.

“For reasons of national security, we cannot disclose details of the cyber attack that led to this incident. However, I can confirm to the House that we have indications that this was the work of an intruder and we cannot rule out the involvement of a (foreign - Ed.) state,” Shapps added.

Author - Olena Madiak, 08/05/2024