The UK and the US conducted strikes against Yemeni military targets this month. Subsequently, cyber activity linked to hacktivist groups, including one claiming responsibility for an attack on the London Stock Exchange, has been observed.

On January 11, the UK and US conducted a joint attack against military facilities in Yemen in response to an attack against British and American warships situated in the Red Sea.

This was, according to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the biggest incident against the Royal Navy in decades. Royal Air Force fighters launched strikes against two Houthi targets, in a deliberate and targeted campaign directed at drone and missile launch sites.

Following the strikes against Yemen there has been increased cyber-related activity in response to UK and US actions.

Pro-Russian hacktivist group Anonymous Sudan revealed on their Telegram channel that a big attack will be coming to the UK in response to air attacks in Yemen and their support of Israel’s actions towards Gaza.

On January 12, the group claimed responsibility for a cyber-attack against the London Stock Exchange Ltd (LINX). It’s important to note that this has not been confirmed at the time of writing.

Another group, Lulzsec, also declared intent to target what they refer to as “hostile countries”, in a Telegram post accompanied by flags of multiple nations including the UK, Canada, Bahrain, Australia and the Netherlands.

The strike by the UK and the US was supported by Australia, Bahrain, Canada and The Netherlands, as revealed in the Prime Minister’s statement to the House.

We’ll keep you updated should the cyber threats or attacks increase as conflicts continue.

Read the Prime Minister’s statement on defending the UK and its allies: 15 January 2024.

Reporting

Report all Fraud and Cybercrime to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or online. Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk. Report SMS scams by forwarding the original message to 7726 (spells SPAM on the keypad).