Russia may be aiming at Scotland as the next target
In a US Senate Intelligence Committee hearing yesterday, US Senator Angus King stated that Russia’s attempt to influence governments around the world will not stop with the 2016 US Election meddling. Senator King warned the world of Russia’s attempt to expand its influence through online and offline means around the world.
The statement also revealed that Russia may be looking to influence and support a second independence referendum in Scotland. This isn’t just an isolated attempt. It is a coordinated series of attacks on the world’s democracies.
A Sign of Bigger Problems
"We know the Russians were involved in the French election. We know that they were involved in the German elections. We are now learning they were involved in the separation of Spain,” according to Senator King. Signs of Russian influence can be seen in the aforementioned democratic process and activities. "And my understanding is they've set up shop in Scotland which is talking about an independence vote from Great Britain.”
Russia’s attempt to influence the French election was foiled by the government’s proactive measures to counter negative publications online. The same strategy was also used in Germany, where the result of the democratic process remains generally uninfluenced despite clear signs of Russian meddling.
The revelation by Senator King is a clear sign that Russia is not slowing down; attempts to undermine democracies around the world will continue and it is not difficult to imagine such attempts having bigger impacts in the future.
The Need for Information Security
It is worth noting that similar attacks are not only designed to target governments and democratic activities. Russian, Chinese, and North Korean hackers are known to pose serious information security threats around the world. Their primary targets are small and medium enterprises, whose resources in handling information security matters aren’t as substantial as larger corporations.
Small businesses often make network security mistakes that lead to a breach of security, according to the latest report by The Custard Group. These mistakes are not only easy to understand and spot but also easy to avoid with the right security measures. The most common network security mistakes involve not changing the default firewall passwords and not having a comprehensive security policy in place.
Information security is now a necessity and it needs to be taken more seriously. Governments and businesses must work hand in hand to fight cyber attacks and to further reduce the risk of a data breach.
Attacks Through Legitimate Means
The US Senate Intelligence Committee hearing also brought to light Russian campaigns through legitimate channels, including Facebook’s and Google’s advertising networks. The disinformation campaigns were run to influence people that were exposed to negative content directly.
Unfortunately, awareness on the matter is still low, especially in the UK. Boris Johnson, UK’s current Foreign Secretary, said that evidence of potential attacks of the election or referendums is yet to be found.
“No, I haven’t seen it. Not a sausage ... nyet, nyet, nyet.”
Questions about Russian influence in the Brexit campaign were also raised by the Electoral Commission earlier this year. It is clear that serious attention must be given to information security and similar attacks coming from Russia, especially in the near future and on sensitive matters such as the Scottish referendum.
