LONDON: Russia has launched cyber attacks on the UK media, telecoms and energy sectors in the past year, Britain’s cyber security chief said on Wednesday amid reports of Russian interference in the Brexit referendum.

“Russia is seeking to undermine the international system. That much is clear,” Ciaran Martin, head of Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said at a London tech conference, according to his office.

“Russian interference, seen by the NCSC over the past year, has included attacks on the UK media, telecommunications and energy sectors,” Martin said.

The centre has coordinated the government’s response to 590 significant incidents since its launch in 2016, although the government agency has not detailed which were linked to Russia.

Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday accused Moscow of “seeking to weaponise information” and “sow discord in the West and undermine our institutions”.

The scathing criticism was rejected by Russia’s foreign ministry, which accused May of trying to distract the British public from problems at home.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2017