Hacking bigger risk than military strike, says British Foreign Secretary

Computer sabotage poses a greater threat than the prospect of a military strike, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook told British MPs yesterday.

He warned that security services were being forced to increase their online defences against threats as diverse as the "Love Bug" and Kournikova e-mail viruses.

Opening a debate on the security services, Mr Cook said the technology behind essential services such as water, power and transport had become key targets.

Mr Cook said: "The revolution in communications technology is creating new opportunities on an exponential scale. This week, 360,000 e-mails will be sent in Britain every second, a fifth more than in January and twice as many as last June.

"Computers now manage most of our critical national infrastructure but with these new opportunities there also comes the risk of new threats.

"A computer-based attack could cripple the nation more quickly than a military strike."

Mr Cook said that when the Kournikova virus struck in February, a national alert was issued within one hour.

"That speed of response can make the difference in the modern world between stability and chaos," he said.

His comments were echoed by Tom King, chairman of the Commons Intelligence and Security Committee. He said: "You don't need a bomb; a good computer hacker could threaten far greater damage."

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