Russian hackers targeting Western critical infrastructure, UK says

Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the words "Cyber Attack", binary codes and the Russian flag, in this illustration taken February 15, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

BELFAST (Reuters) - The UK government's cyber defence agency warned on Wednesday of an emerging threat to Western critical national infrastructure posed by hackers sympathetic to Russia and its war on Ukraine.

Russia-aligned "hacktivists" have carried out largely harmless online campaigns that have defaced prominent public websites or knocked them offline. However, some of those groups have been actively plotting ways to do more real-world damage, Britain's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of the GCHQ eavesdropping intelligence agency, said in an alert.