Pro-Russian Hacker Group Claims Cyber-Attacks on UK Websites

A pro-Russian hacking group named NoName057(16) has claimed responsibility for a wave of cyber-attacks on several UK websites, including those of local councils and the Association for Police and Crime Commissioners. The group said the attacks took place over three days and aimed to disrupt online services.

In social media posts, the hackers claimed they made multiple websites temporarily inaccessible through distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. This method involves flooding websites with heavy internet traffic to overwhelm and disable them. The group stated: “Britain is invested in the escalation of the [Ukraine] conflict, and we are disconnecting its resources.”

However, the actual impact appears limited. Some councils, such as Blackburn with Darwen and Exeter, reported no disruptions despite being listed among the targets. Other organisations, including Harwich International Port and Cardiff City Council, have not commented on the claims.

Arun District Council confirmed its website was affected on Tuesday morning, starting around 7:15 am, but it was fully restored by 11:30 am. A spokesperson said they were aware of the group’s claims and were investigating the incident.

National Highways also reported a DDoS attack but assured that services would return to normal shortly.

This latest incident follows a similar attempt last October, where several council websites were briefly disrupted but no user data was compromised. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said that while DDoS attacks are generally low in complexity, they can still cause temporary disruption.

NoName057(16), active since 2022, has previously targeted websites belonging to governments and media organisations in Ukraine, Europe, and the United States. In January 2023, the group attacked websites of Czech presidential candidates.

A 2023 report by cybersecurity firm Bridewell revealed that 63% of government-sector organisations in the UK experienced ransomware attacks within the past year. The National Audit Office also warned in January that cyber threats to UK government systems are serious and evolving rapidly.

The NCSC recently issued fresh guidance following cyber-attacks on major UK retailers such as Marks & Spencer, Co-op, and Harrods. These attacks were reportedly carried out by criminals pretending to be IT support staff to gain access to internal systems.

The NCSC said it is still investigating whether these retailer attacks are connected or the work of different criminal groups.