MPs and peers have warned the government that Russia, China, North Korea and other hostile states could attempt interfere in the 4 July general election.
A joint parliamentary committee of MPs and peers has warned the prime minister Rishi Sunak that the general election is an “attractive target” for malicious actors trying to destabilise the UK.
The UK could face cyber-attacks, including ransomware targeted against UK institutions, the spread of AI generated disinformation and targeted phishing attacks aimed at disrupting the election.
Margaret Beckett, Labour MP and chair of the influential parliamentary national security committee, warned Sunak in a letter on 24 May that hostile states such as Russia and China “can reach the British public far more easily than ever before”.
Technological developments mean that hostile actors “have the ability to influence the information landscape by creating harmful deepfake videos and audios” – which use artificially generated images and sounds to spread false information on the internet, she said.
A government spokesman acknowledged the threat from foreign states, saying “security is paramount and we are well prepared to ensure the integrity of the election with robust systems in place to protect against interference. ”
The government has established a Joint Election Security Preparations Unit ahead of the July 4 election to provide a coordinated effort across Whitehall, the police and the security and intelligence agencies, to tackle foreign interference.
Parliamentarians and election candidates have also been given access to an “enhanced cyber security offer” developed by GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), to protect against phishing attacks and foreign influence operations.
Deep fakes could influence voters
Beckett, chair of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy told Sunak: “clear public communication about the risks posed by mis- and disinformation and other forms of foreign interference is essential”.
“There is nothing new in hostile actors seeking to interfere in elections. Today however, these actors can reach the British public far more easily than before,” she added.
“As a consequence of technological advances, hostile actors – both foreign and domestic – have the ability to influence the information landscape by creating harmful deepfake videos and audios that rapidly spread,” she war
