Low-level, politically driven cyber attackers targeting Britain’s networks are achieving little more than digital vandalism.
A spate of cyber-attacks aimed at critical national infrastructure and local government systems across the UK has revealed a frustrating reality: these so-called hackers are hardly sophisticated cyber masterminds. They are low-level, technically inept troublemakers bent on disruption rather than infiltration.
Their preferred method, the Denial of Service (DoS) attack, involves bombarding targeted networks with huge volumes of data. The objective isn’t to steal secrets or breach firewalls, but to overload systems, slow them down, and create frustration. It’s the cyber equivalent of jamming up a motorway — chaotic, expensive and utterly pointless.
For those on the receiving end, the cost is far from trivial. Each interruption translates into wasted time, money and resources. Repairs, countermeasures, and recovery efforts divert attention from essential work and drain budgets that could be used for better public services or improved infrastructure.
Political Mischief Masquerading as Cyber Activism
Unlike financially motivated hackers, these hacktivists are driven by politics. Many appear to be Russia-aligned groups, targeting the UK in retaliation for its support of Ukraine. Their goal: irritation and disruption, not damage or data theft.
Let’s be clear — this isn’t noble protest. It’s petty digital vandalism carried out in the name of ideology. They may believe they’re striking a blow against Western systems, but all they achieve is to waste bandwidth and patience.
‘Knock-a-Door-Ginger’ for the Internet Age
These “naughty boys and girls”, as one might call them, need to grow up. Slowing a network for a few minutes does not qualify as a victory. It’s the online equivalent of knock-a-door-ginger — silly, juvenile and pointless.
So they’ve “slowed down data flow” on a few UK systems. Well done. What have they achieved? Absolutely nothing.The public isn’t swayed, and their supposed cause gains no traction.
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Defence, Not Retaliation
In an ideal world, Britain could hack them back — expose their servers, reveal their identities, and dismantle their operations. But that’s not the way responsible nations behave.
Instead, security teams must focus on repelling attacks, analysing patterns and strengthening digital defences for the future. Every assault, no matter how irritating, provides lessons in resilience and response.
In truth, the hackers’ actions only make our systems stronger. The more they try, the better we become at defending. The irony is poetic: in attempting to embarrass us, they only highlight their own foolishness.
A Futile Cause
So perhaps these self-styled cyber warriors should rethink their strategy. Because from this side of the firewall, they look less like revolutionaries and more like foolish nuisances, wasting everyone’s time — including their own.
Help
The NCSC supply help and advice on dealing with these types of attacks and encourage organisations to engage with the NSCS’s heightened cyber threat collection.
