Cyber

The speech by Pat McFadden was described as “ridiculous” by Kevin Riehle, a lecturer at Brunel University London and former counterintelligence analyst in the U.S. government, and as “a step backwards” by James Sullivan, the director of the cyber research group at the think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), alongside several other experts in the field. Jamie MacColl, a cyber research fellow at RUSI, said: “The suggestion that Russia ‘can turn the lights off for millions’ is not grounded in reality and likely reflects a misunderstanding of the kind of effects that offensive cyber operations can achieve.” “This kind of language also does Russia’s job for it, given Russian intelligence wants to create panic and weaken societal resilience through cyber operations. Resisting Russian cyber attacks requires psychological as well as cyber resilience, and this rests on clear and calm rhetoric and guidance from the government,” MacColl said. Louise Marie Hurel, also a cyber research fellow at RUSI, said the depiction of “a scenario where Russia could execute a one-click, nationwide shutdown is unhelpful.” “Such exaggerated rhetoric inadvertently bolsters Russia’s image and perceived capabilities while unnecessarily spreading fears of a doomsday scenario,” she said.

Worries over disinformation played a strong role in expert reaction to McFadden. "This kind of language also does Russia's job for it, given that Russian intelligence wants to create panic and weaken societal resilience through cyber operations," said Jamie MacColl, a cyber research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. "Resisting Russian cyberattacks requires psychological as well as cyber resilience, and this rests on clear and calm rhetoric and guidance from the government. Neither should government officials minimize the scale of the Russia threat, experts said. "The challenge, however, lies in striking the 'right' tone. U.K's desire to signal that 'it knows what is happening' needs to be more calibrated with taking the Russian threat in more concrete terms and without resorting to exaggerated or alarmist language," said Louise Marie Hurel, a research fellow at RUSI.

Joseph Jarnecki, a research fellow in cyber threats and cybersecurity at the Royal United Services Institute, spoke to Newsweek about the impacts of a second Trump term on America's cyber strategy. "A second Trump administration will change how the U.S. engages on cybersecurity internationally," he said, adding that the Biden administration had "prioritized coalition-building activities" such as appointing Nathaniel Fink as the inaugural ambassador at large for cyberspace and digital policy, as well as creating such groups as the Counter Ransomware Initiative. "With political appointments transferring from Democrat to Republican, it is likely that many of these initiatives will be abandoned."