Cyberattacks by the UK’s enemies are becoming “relentless” as we enter a “new era” of global conflict, an expert has warned. It comes after Russian hackers allegedly acquired top-secret security information on some of the country’s most sensitive military sites, including the HMNB Clyde nuclear submarine base on the west coast of Scotland and the Porton Down chemical weapon lab. The “potentially very damaging” attack last month by hacking group LockBit, which has known links to Russian nationals, saw thousands of pages of data leaked onto the dark web after private security firm Zaun was targeted, the Sunday Mirror newspaper reported. The company, which provides security fencing for sites related to the Ministry of Defence, said it had been the victim of a “sophisticated cyber attack”. Responding to the news, Kevin Curran, professor of cyber security at Ulster University, told the PA news agency that LockBit’s attack was “serious” as we approach a potential “World War Three” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said the raid was “likely” sponsored by the Russian state given the nature of its target and that cyber attacks by Britain’s enemies had become “relentless”. Professor Curran warned that we were unprepared for this new era as third-party companies, which hold data on our military infrastructure were not being properly regulated. He said: “You can’t just expect third-party suppliers to adhere to your rules. “There is always a risk when you have third-party suppliers and you do wonder if they adhere to industry best practice. “It is a worry because everything is online now – cybercrime is the biggest crime in the world. “Given the new era we are entering which is the brink of World War Three everything is serious. They are relentless with these attacks Professor Kevin Curran “They are relentless with these attacks. Their best way into our country is through our cyber-security. This is the nation at risk. “In this case, given the target, my money would be on this being state-sponsored.” It comes after Labour MP Kevan Jones, who sits on the Commons Defence Select Committee, urged the Government to explain why Zaun’s computer systems were “so vulnerable”, warning: “This is potentially very damaging to the security of some of our most sensitive sites.” “Any information which gives security arrangements to potential enemies is of huge concern,” he added. The government has so far declined to respond to concerns, with a spokesperson saying: “We do not comment on security matters.” In a statement on its website published on Friday, Zaun said it had taken “all reasonable measures to mitigate any attacks on our systems” and explained that they had referred the matter to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). It explained that the breach occurred through a “rogue Windows 7 PC” that was running software for one of their manufacturing machines but that the network was “otherwise up to date”. It said: “At the time of the attack, we believed that our cyber-security software had thwarted any transfer of data. “However, we can now confirm that during the attack LockBit managed to download some data, possibly limited to the vulnerable PC but with a risk that some data on the server was accessed. “It is believed that this is 10 GB of data, 0.74 per cent of our stored data. “It is well known that Zaun is a specialist in high-security perimeter fencing and has supplied fencing to many high-profile sites. “Sites where our products are used include prisons, military bases and utilities.” Zaun has been approached for further comment. Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin suffering ‘mounting casualties’ and forced to appeal for foreign fighters Russia attacks a Ukrainian port before key grain deal talks between Putin and Turkey's president Russians press Ukraine in the northeast to distract from more important battles in counteroffensive Ukraine ‘targets critical bridge’ built by Putin as counteroffensive ‘breaks through on southern front’ Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

A private jet used by Elon Musk arrived in Beijing on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after it was confirmed that the Tesla boss would be visiting China this week for the first time in three years. In response to reports of Mr Musk’s visit, China’s foreign ministry said that the country has always welcomed business people from other parts of the world, including Mr Musk, “to visit and promote mutually beneficial cooperation”. China’s foreign minister Qin Gang said during a meeting with Mr Musk on Tuesday that the country would create a better market-oriented business environment for enterprises from all countries, including Tesla. Mr Qin told the Tesla chief that China would continue to promote high-level opening-up and strive to create a better business environment, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry. The statement noted that Tesla opposed “decoupling” and was willing to continue to expand its business in China. Following Mr Musk’s meet with the Chinese foreign minister, shares of the EV company rose on Tuesday. Tesla’s Shanghai plant accounted for over half of the company’s global production in 2022. Commenting on his China visit, some Twitter users wondered if the self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” would face questions during his visit about the communist country’s harsh rules around censorship. Mr Musk’s visit also comes when Tesla is dealing with growing competition from Chinese car makers, including the country’s electric vehicle exports. Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Tesla is closing in on a trial production of its revamped Model 3 sedan in Shanghai, which the carmaker hopes to compete more closely with rivals in the Chinese market. Ahead of his trip, the SpaceX boss also complimented China’s space programme, calling it “more advanced than most people realise”. Read More Trust and ethics considerations ‘have come too late’ on AI technology Elon Musk tweets quote by neo-Nazi wrongly attributed to Voltaire Elon Musk fires back at Twitter censorship critic: ‘You’re such a numbskull’ Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain chip company gets FDA approval for human testing AOC jokes more people watched her gaming online than listened to DeSantis launch What is Twitter Spaces and why did it go so wrong during DeSantis’s 2024 launch?

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MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 30, 2023--

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