September 3rd 2023.
The news of a major hack being carried out by a Russian-affiliated group has been circulating after it happened last month. The hackers, known as LockBit, were able to steal a substantial amount of sensitive information from the British military and security intelligence. Thousands of pages of data, such as armed forces sales, cyber defences and layouts of barracks, were taken from the UK company Zaun, which produces security fencing for high-risk websites.
The information then released included details on security equipment at RAF Waddington, Cawdor Barracks, HMNB Clyde (Faslane) and GCHQ. The latter is the UK’s intelligence, security and cyber agency. Comprehensive drawings of the perimeter fencing at the barracks, as well as a map of the installations, were also leaked.
Furthermore, details from high-security prisons, such as Long Lartin and Whitemoor, and Porton Down, a science and defence technology hub, were compromised. This raised the question of how this leak affects the ability of our defence establishments to continue functioning without threat of attack.
The chair of Commons Defence Select Committee, Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, expressed his concern over the situation and asked what needs to be done to tackle it. Labour MP Kevan Jones, who is also on the same committee, called on the government for an explanation for the leak.
In response, Zaun said that LockBit had potentially only gained access to some historic emails, orders, drawings and project files. They clarified that they do not believe classified documents were stored on the system or have been compromised.
A government spokesperson commented: “We do not comment on security matters.” Metro Online has also approached Zaun for comment.
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