UK security expert warns of hostile cyber attacks against critical infrastructure and services
13 Oct 2010
According to the head of UK's electronic spying agency, critical infrastructure could be damaged by cyber attacks from hostile states and criminals.
In a rare public speech, Iain Lobban, director of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), said the nation's infrastructure - such as power grids and emergency services faced increased risk with the rapid growth of the internet making systems more vulnerable.
Speaking before an audience at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, he said the threat was a real and credible one.
"We already provide expert advice and incident response to the operators of critical services.
"We must continue to strengthen these capabilities and be swifter in our response, aiming to match the speed at which cyber events happen."
Around 1,000 malicious emails a month are already targeting government computer networks, Lobban said.
