Well, they do say attack is the best form of defence. Britain is to develop the capability to launch cyberattacks, not just defend against incoming threats, UK defence secretary Philip Hammond announced this week.
The shift in tactics is part of the Ministry of Defence’s £500 million plan to create a military unit – the Joint Cyber Reserve – that will be staffed by hundreds of reservists, including experts leaving the armed forces and people “with no previous military experience” who have stellar computing skills.
“In response to the growing cyber threat, we are developing a full-spectrum military cyber capability, including a strike capability,” Hammond said in an MoD statement.