Cyber attack: Gavin Robinson says MoD must offer practical support for armed forces

It comes after news the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) was targeted in a cyber attack.

A third-party payroll system was hacked, potentially compromising the bank details of service personnel and veterans, with speculation the attack had been carried out by China.The East Belfast MP – who sits as a member of the Defence Select Committee in Parliament – said the revelation that personal information relating to current and former members of the Armed Forces has been accessed is of real concern.

“The PSNI data breach highlighted the issues which particularly impact upon people from Northern Ireland given the particular security concerns we face.

“It is important that the MoD can identify exactly how many individuals are affected and work with them to provide not just reassurance, but practical support. As with the PSNI data leak, those concerns will exist not just in the short-term, but over an extended period of time.

“Whilst we do not know the circumstances surrounding this incident, the threat from cyber-attacks, whether from hostile states or criminal gangs is significant for institutions both in the public and private sector. It is important as a nation that we are equipped to combat that threat.”

It comes amid a growing global threat to states from cyber attacks – some organised by criminals with the aim of extorting money.

On Tuesday, the UK, US and Australia sanctioned the Russian leader of one of the world’s most prolific ransomware groups, LockBit.

As part of an ongoing international law enforcement investigation, Russian national Dmitry Khoroshev has been identified as one of the leaders of the group, which the Government says has been responsible for extorting more than one billion dollars from victims globally.

Sanctions minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: “Together with our allies we will continue to crack down on hostile cyber activity which is destroying livelihoods and businesses across the world”.