British intelligence services have warned the country’s political parties to beef up their cyber security and protect themselves from hacking attacks by foreign countries such as Russia, according to a new report.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), which is part of the GCHQ spying agency, confirmed a report by the Sunday Times that it had advised the leaders of Labour, Tory and other parties to strengthen their network security.
According to the daily, NCSC head Ciaran Martin has sent a letter to the party bosses, offering to help them prevent cyber security breaches like the ones in the US and Germany.
“You will be aware of the coverage of events in the United States, Germany and elsewhere reminding us of the potential for hostile action against the UK political system,” Martin said, according to the report.
“Attacks against our democratic processes go beyond (political parties) and can include attacks on parliament, constituency…