, Oliver Dowden, a Cabinet Office minister will warn in a speech. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) will also issue an official threat alert to critical businesses such as water and energy supplies, recommending that they “act now” to protect themselves against the emerging cyber threat.

The hacking groups, which are often sympathetic to Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, are believed to be ideologically-motivated and “less predictable” because they are not subject to formal state control. Some of these groups have expressed a desire to create a disruptive and destructive impact against western critical national infrastructure including in the UK. Mr Dowden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, will describe the hackers as “Wagner-like,” likening them to the Russian mercenaries fighting in Ukraine.

As a response to the threat, Mr Dowden will announce new measures to support businesses “on the front line of our cyber defences.” These will include the setting of cyber resilience targets for critical sectors to be met within two years and private sector businesses working on critical infrastructure will be brought into the scope of resilience regulations.

The CEO of the NCSC, Lindy Cameron, warned it is important the UK’s critical national infrastructure is protected from hackers and people must be made ready for the threats they may face in the future. She noted that while they have seen indications of attempts to target the UK, the activity remains at a low level.