A critical alert issued on January 19, 2026, warned of rising cyber-attacks by Russian-aligned hacktivist groups targeting UK organisations.
These state-aligned threat actors are conducting disruptive denial-of-service (DoS) operations against local government authorities.
Critical national infrastructure operators are aiming to cripple essential services and turn off public-facing websites.
The NCSC emphasizes that while DoS attacks remain technically unsophisticated, their operational impact is substantial; successful attacks can disable critical systems. Incur significant recovery costs and disrupt public access to essential services.
Unlike financially motivated cybercriminals, these hacktivist groups operate for ideological reasons, centered on perceived Western support for Ukraine, and function independently outside direct state control.
Hacktivist Groups Attacking UK Organisations
Russian-aligned hacktivist groups continue targeting NATO member states and European nations opposing Russia’s geopolitical objectives.
In December 2025, the NCSC coordinated with international partners to issue a joint advisory identifying pro-Russian hacktivists as persistent threats to government and private sector entities.
Current activity demonstrates a sustained commitment to disrupting UK infrastructure through low-complexity attack vectors.
The sophistication gap between attack complexity and operational impact creates a critical vulnerability.
DoS attacks overwhelm web servers and network infrastructure by flooding systems with traffic, rendering legitimate requests unable to be processed.
For public-facing systems, including emergency services portals, local council websites, and utility management platforms, even brief disruptions create cascading operational failures and public safety concerns.
Jonathon Ellison, NCSC Director of National Resilience, stressed the urgency: “By overwhelming important websites and online systems, these attacks can prevent people from accessing the essential services they depend on every day.”
The NCSC recommends immediate actions:
| Area | Recommended Actions |
|---|---|
| Defense Implementation | Review DDoS protections and rate-limiting; deploy network filtering, traffic scrubbing, and redundant routing |
| Incident Preparedness | Create and test DoS response plans; set communication channels with ISPs and mitigation providers |
| Guidance Access | Use freely available NCSC technical guidance on DoS countermeasures |
The persistent targeting of UK critical infrastructure by Russian-aligned hacktivist groups represents an ongoing operational threat requiring proactive defensive posturing.
Organisations should prioritize DoS resilience alongside conventional cybersecurity controls, particularly those operating essential public services.
Continuous monitoring of NCSC alerts and threat intelligence updates remains essential for maintaining awareness of the threat landscape.
Follow us on Google News, LinkedIn, and X for daily cybersecurity updates. Contact us to feature your stories.
