UK Election Faces Foreign Interference Threats

Parliamentarians have warned UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about the increasing threat of foreign interference in the upcoming July 4, 2024, general election. In a letter dated May 24, Margaret Beckett, Labour MP and chair of the parliamentary national security committee, highlighted the risks posed by hostile states like Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. These actors are using technological advancements to influence the information landscape through harmful deepfake videos and audios.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) reported that Russian actors almost certainly sought to interfere in the 2019 general election. The hacking group Star Blizzard, linked to Russia’s FSB, has targeted high-profile individuals and leaked sensitive information. Chinese state-affiliated hackers infiltrated the UK Electoral Commission’s IT systems between 2021 and 2023 and conducted phishing attacks on parliament members.

Beckett emphasized that the UK must be prepared for potential foreign interference, especially considering the current global instability, such as the Middle East conflict and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The letter urges the government to collaborate with political parties and security agencies to protect the election.

The Home Office established the Defending Democracy Taskforce in 2022, chaired by Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, to address election threats. Despite these measures, the NCSC warns that advanced technologies like large language models and AI bots will likely be used to spread disinformation, making election security more challenging.

Source: Computer Weekly

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