Russian-linked hackers posing as journalists target UK Defence Ministry

Sky News reported the information.

The British military is boosting its own offensive capabilities to conduct cyberattacks against hostile states such as Russia.

The failed hacking attempt came to light as Defense Secretary John Healey announced that the UK military is strengthening its ability to launch cyber attacks against hostile states like Russia, as part of a major defense review.

The Strategic Defense Review, launched by Sir Keir Starmer last July, is due Monday ahead of the NATO summit in June.

"The nature of warfare is changing," Mr Healey told a group of journalists on a visit to a secure facility in Wiltshire where the defense team that defeated the Russian cyber attack is located. "The keyboard is now a weapon of war and we are responding to that."

The UK will create a new cyber command and invest over £1bn in tech to boost its ability to detect and strike battlefield targets.

"In future conflict, those that prevail will be those who are not just better equipped and better trained, but better connected and also capable of innovating ahead of adversaries," the defense secretary said.

The UK military faced over 90,000 cyber attacks from hostile states in two years - double the previous period. While detection has improved, the attacks are also growing more sophisticated.

Late last year, the NCSC alerted the MoD to a suspected spear phishing campaign. The threat was investigated by the Global Operations Security Centre at MoD Corsham, where teams worked in a windowless hall lined with desks and large screens.

"MoD detected a spear phishing campaign targeting staff with the aim of delivering malware. The initial campaign consisted of two emails with a journalistic theme attempting to represent a news organisation. The second campaign followed a financial theme, directing targets to a commercial file share," the analysis by the NCSC said.

Officials shared details of the cyberattack during the defense secretary's visit to MoD Corsham. One said it took about an hour to detect the breach and described the moment as "cool."

A second official said the malware was linked to Russian group RomCom.