LONDON: A British intelligence agency has told political parties to protect themselves against potential cyberattacks, citing allegations that Russian hackers tried to influence last year’s US presidential election.
Britain’s National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), part of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) spying agency, said it had written to the leaders of political parties offering to help strengthen their network security, confirming a report in the Sunday Times.
“You will be aware of the coverage of events in the United States, Germany and elsewhere reminding us of the potential for hostile action against the UK political system,” a letter from NCSC head Ciaran Martin said, according to the Times.
“Attacks against our democratic processes go beyond (political parties) and can include attacks on Parliament, constituency offices, think tanks and pressure groups and individuals’ e-mail accounts,” it said. The NCSC told Reuters it had written to parties on the matter, although it did not confirm that the main cybersecurity risk was Russia.
Asked about the report, Foreign Minister Boris Johnson said:
“We have no evidence that the Russians are actually involved in trying to undermine our democratic processes at the moment.
“But what we do have is plenty of evidence that the Russians are capable of doing that. And there is no doubt that they’ve been up to all sorts of dirty tricks,” he told ITV television’s “Peston on Sunday.”
US intelligence agencies concluded last year that Russia hacked and leaked Democratic Party e-mails as part of an effort to tilt the presidential election vote in favor of Donald Trump, something Russia denies.
British political parties warned of Russian hacking threat, says spy agency
British political parties warned of Russian hacking threat, says spy agency
Air India 777 aircraft turns back after drop in engine oil pressure, regulator says
- The aircraft, which was headed to Mumbai, landed safely back in Delhi and the incident will be investigated
- Air India has been under intense scrutiny this year after the June 12 crash of a Boeing Dreamliner killed 260 people
BENGALURU: An Air India Boeing 777 aircraft had to turn back after a drop in oil pressure forced the pilots to turn off one of the jet’s engines, India’s aviation regulator said on Monday.
The aircraft, which was headed to India’s financial capital of Mumbai, landed safely back in Delhi and the incident will be investigated, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement. Modern aircraft are designed to safely fly and land on a single engine, if required. Air India has been under intense scrutiny this year after the June 12 crash of a Boeing Dreamliner killed 260 people. The DGCA has flagged multiple safety lapses at the airline, which was previously owned by the government till 2022. An Air India investigation into why one of its planes conducted commercial flights without an airworthiness permit found “systemic failures,” with the airline admitting it needed to do better on compliance, Reuters reported earlier this month.
On Monday, pilots observed a low engine oil pressure on the B777-300ER aircraft’s right-hand engine during flaps retraction after take-off. The pressure shortly thereafter dropped to zero and the crew shut down the engine and turned back as per procedure, the DGCA said.
“Air India sincerely regrets inconvenience caused due to this unforeseen situation. The aircraft is undergoing the necessary checks,” an Air India spokesperson said in a statement. The aircraft is 15 years old and has flown to locations such as Vienna, Vancouver and Chicago, according to Flightradar24. Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident.
