'Cyberspace creates opportunities for mid-tier states. Rather than attempting to replicate the capabilities of major cyber powers they can exploit the distinctive logic of cyberspace and cooperation with civilian partners.' write Dr Peter B.M.J Pijpers and Dr Jelle van Haaster in a RUSI Commentary.

Cyber Campaigning: Mid-Tier States Can Leverage Civilian Cyber Power

States lacking vast nuclear and conventional capabilities should team with the private sector via letters of marque and digital levée en masse.

rusi.org

Data centres and AI really needed to learn from the example of GM foods, nuclear power and financial services - that no matter how necessary you think the job you do is, if you get a reputation for lying all the time you are absolutely f**ked in terms of public approval and consent for what you do

'The levels of innovation within the cybercrime ecosystem are often overstated. Threat actors are profit-seeking actors, like technology companies, but they are dissimilar in that they rarely pursue innovation for its own sake.' write Will Lyne and Jamie MacColl in the latest RUSI Commentary.

Beyond the Hype: AI, Ransomware and Business Models

AI is not (yet) fundamentally reinventing cybercrime. For bold predictions on how it will change, look to history to understand what drives criminal behaviour online.

rusi.org

Awesome paper on how AI is (not) transforming cyber crime www.rusi.org/explore-our-...

Beyond the Hype: AI, Ransomware and Business Models

AI is not (yet) fundamentally reinventing cybercrime. For bold predictions on how it will change, look to history to understand what drives criminal behaviour online.

rusi.org

New: The British government is seeking new powers that would allow it to ban technology vendors on national security grounds from supplying companies working in the country’s critical sectors — potentially doing so in secret.

UK government seeks powers to secretly block risky tech suppliers

The British government is seeking new powers to ban certain technology vendors from supplying companies working in the country’s critical sectors — potentially doing so in secret.

therecord.media

‘We do not ask supermarkets to repel air strikes or hand factories the job of intercepting missiles. Yet when it comes to cyber, companies are left to fend off nation-state threats on their own.’ #cybersecurity bindinghook.com/whose-job-is...

Whose job is it to defend a private company?

When an Iranian spy agency posed as a ransomware gang early this year, the target wasn’t a government. It was an ordinary company – expected, somehow, to hold the line against a nation state

bindinghook.com

What has the war in Ukraine taught us about cyber operations? In this VIRO Learning explainer series, Virtual Routes Co-Director Max Smeets examines Russia’s cyber operations in Ukraine & what they reveal about the role and limits of cyber capabilities in modern warfare. youtu.be/PhABGlNHxzI?...

Intro: Lessons from Russian Cyber Operations in Ukraine | Max Smeets | VIRO Learning

YouTube video by Virtual Routes

youtu.be

'In the face of sustained efforts by malign actors, the UK is overdue a more strategic and effective approach to securing access to trusted information, particularly online' write Sophie Williams-Dunning, Andy Pryce and Jamie MacColl in the latest RUSI Commentary.

Burnham's Opportunity to Rethink Information Resilience

Repositioning DCMS as the lead for ‘information resilience' online and offline provides coherence to a currently disparate portfolio, offering a rare opportunity to rethink how the government protects the UK from information threats.

rusi.org

Water security is so important and it’s mindboggling that we continue to let private equity manage and profit from it. There’s no excuse anymore.

More than half of England officially in drought - Environment Agency

The drought declarations follow an exceptionally hot and dry period, which has hit rivers, crops and nature.

bbc.co.uk

What is the UK approach to offensive cyber operations? This the question at heart of a new volume edited by me, @tcstvns.bsky.social @piahuesch.bsky.social and Emma De Angelis. Also features contributions by members of the UK National Cyber Force, which I think is a first?

New Thinking on UK Cyber Effects: An Edited Collection

This book explores the UK's approach to cyber effects operations, analysing strategic culture and policy in the evolving landscape of modern cyber warfare.

rusi.org

Scoop: Britain's National Cyber Action Plan, the government's forthcoming strategy for defending the wider economy against state-backed and criminal hacking, has been delayed again amid the current ongoing drama in Westminster.

Launch of UK's National Cyber Action Plan delayed amid Labour leadership crisis

The plan had been due for publication on Monday, the sources said. It has been postponed amid the uncertainty over the governing Labour Party’s leadership contest, which opens July 9.

therecord.media

There's also a claim buried in this story that the UK has conducted its own cyber sabotage operations against Russia...

Jamie MacColl@jamiemaccoll.bsky.social · 3mo ago

A very interesting story in the New York Times this morning that reports that the Russian state might have been involved the cyber attack against Jaguar Land Rover last year. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/w.... some thoughts from me below...

A very interesting story in the New York Times this morning that reports that the Russian state might have been involved the cyber attack against Jaguar Land Rover last year. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/w.... some thoughts from me below...

A $2.5 Billion Whodunit: The Hack That Dented the U.K. Economy

nytimes.com

Teens who hacked TfL were known to police years before cyber-attack. If you've been following teen hacking gangs then you will know that one of the TfL hackers - Thalha Jubair - had a long history of crime. But the history of his co conspirator Owen Flowers is less know - until now.

Teens who hacked TfL were known to police years before cyber-attack

Owen Flowers and Thalha Jubair were convicted for their roles in the attack, which led to large costs for Transport for London.

bbc.co.uk

Stopping allies and partners from using some of Anthropic’s models is exactly the kind of incident that successive US administrations have used to warn what might happen if we bought from Chinese tech vendors like Huawei.

On 9 June, the UK Cyber Effects Network will be publishing its first edited volume. Edited by me, @tcstvns.bsky.social, @piahuesch.bsky.social and Emma De Angelis, the volume has a range of contributions on the UK approach to offensive cyber.

Colbert guest hosted a public access TV show in Monroe, Michigan a day after the Late Show ended. Guest star: Jeff Daniels Special appearance by: Eminem Musical director: Jack White Genius. youtu.be/jJTXB5uT_C4?...

Only In Monroe --- May 22, 2026

YouTube video by Stephen Colbert

youtu.be

Scoop: We can reveal the details of the UK's planned Computer Misuse Act reform: ▶️ A statutory defence will only cover scanning internet-facing systems ▶️ Activity must stop once vulnerability is found ▶️ Only available to UK nationals accredited by Cyber Security Council (currently about 300 people)

UK plans for cybercrime law reform would protect almost no one, experts warn

The proposals would require researchers to cease activity the moment a vulnerability is identified, meaning they could not confirm it was real, assess its severity or determine its exploitability.

therecord.media

We are pleased to announce that applications for the second cohort of the Fellowship Programme of the UK Cyber Effects Network are now open. Successful applicants will deepen their knowledge and engage in discussions on cyber effects. Apply by 5 June 2026, 23:59 BST: https://bit.ly/4tPIwbn

Yesterday, we hosted Liz Kendall’s speech on AI and tech sovereignty at RUSI. It was my first time organising a ministerial speech and I’m very grateful to have such competent colleagues

RUSI@rusi.bsky.social · 4mo ago

At RUSI today, Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP set out why AI is central to economic power and national security, warning that failing to invest would be 'a betrayal of British talent and British interests'. Read the RUSI News piece: https://bit.ly/3QFqQk0 Watch the event recording: https://bit.ly/42Eqe0A

At RUSI today, Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP set out why AI is central to economic power and national security, warning that failing to invest would be 'a betrayal of British talent and British interests'. Read the RUSI News piece: https://bit.ly/3QFqQk0 Watch the event recording: https://bit.ly/42Eqe0A

Counter-ransomware interventions are increasing, but assessing the impact remains difficult. Our latest article by @maxwsmeets.bsky.social, @jamiemaccoll.bsky.social, S. Williams-Dunning, & @bobherc.bsky.social introduces a practical framework to evaluate them. Read: bindinghook.com/assessing-th...

Assessing the impact of counter-ransomware interventions

Counter-ransomware interventions are becoming increasingly common, but judging whether those interventions ‘work’ remains difficult. Understanding impact means considering more than a single outcome a...

bindinghook.com

[New Report with @rusi.bsky.social] Assessing the Impact of Ransomware Interventions and Countermeasures: A Framework. This Pharos report presents a practical framework to evaluate counter-ransomware actions across severity, scope, longevity & reversibility, and signalling value.

"That should make us all pause and think. Every organisation needs to identify the networks that matter to them, and how to protect them better, and then plan for how they'd cope if the network gets disrupted." Prof Ciaran Martin Martin on JLR's recent cyber attack👇 https://ow.ly/QEMu50Xg7Zz

JLR hack 'is costliest cyber attack in UK history', experts say

The cyber attack on Jaguar Land Rover is estimated to cost £2.1bn, the Cyber Monitoring Centre says.

ow.ly

My statement on the allegations of a Chinese state compromise of Britain’s most highly classified government systems in 2020 www.linkedin.com/posts/cyberc...

My statement on the allegations of a systematic Chinese state compromise of Britain’s classified information systems in 2020 STARTS “Following the reports earlier today in The Times, as the senior… ...

My statement on the allegations of a systematic Chinese state compromise of Britain’s classified information systems in 2020 STARTS “Following the reports earlier today in The Times, as the senior o...

linkedin.com

We have extended the deadline to submit abstracts for a book of papers on offensive cyber operations. We’re particularly keen for more submissions from the private sector so if you’re sitting on research and want to write a paper rather than give a conference presentation format then submit it here!

RUSI@rusi.bsky.social · 12mo ago

🚨The deadline to submit your abstract on offensive cyber operations for the UK Cyber Effects Network has been extended to 6 October. Share your insights and submit your abstract as soon as possible - details below.

It's gonna be interesting to see how this one plays out. There's louder calls coming in to the UK gov to bail out JLR's supplies, as they've started laying off staff after JLR's ransomware/extortion incident. But JLR made £2.5bn in profit last year. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Jaguar Land Rover: Some suppliers 'face bankruptcy' due to hack crisis

The government has been urged to

bbc.co.uk

🚨We're excited to launch a new initiative to build a UK community focused on offensive cyber operations. The goal is to generate new ideas and develop the next generation of experts in this field. Learn more, including how to get involved, below.

UK Cyber Effects Network Launches

RUSI and the National Cyber Force are launching a new initiative to develop a UK community of interest on offensive cyber and other cyber effects operations.

rusi.org

Good piece by @jamiemaccoll.bsky.social of @rusi.bsky.social on the UK’s cyber security challenges www.rusi.org/explore-our-...

A Crossroads for UK Cyber Strategy

UK cyber strategy is struggling to achieve its resilience objectives – the next iteration of the National Cyber Strategy needs to set out a compelling vision for change.

rusi.org

"I can’t see most cybercriminals taking a limited UK payment ban into account for their operating models. It would probably take a full payment ban to make the criminals sit up and take notice" notes RUSI's @jamiemaccoll.bsky.social to @thetimes.com. .

Businesses banned from paying hackers’ ransoms to target cybercrime

New laws mark some of the strictest in the world to target hackers, requiring the private sector to seek government permission before paying cybercriminals

thetimes.com