British Government Recruits "Naughty Boy" Hackers

The British government is recruiting former hackers to wage offensive cyberwarfare against its adversaries, according to the Telegraph.

The hackers will be employed by the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), one of three British intelligence agencies located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. 

Lord West, the security minister, had a colorful way of describing the government's new recruits.

"It would be silly to say that we don't have any capability to do offensive work from Cheltenham," he said, adding: "You need youngsters who are deep into this stuff. If they have been slightly naughty boys, very often they really enjoy stopping other naughty boys."

Much like the United States, the British government has made securing cyberspace a national security priority. Soon it will open a new Cyber Security Operations Centre, which will bring together the intelligence expertise of MI-5, the Government Communications Headquarters, and the Metropolitan Police. According to the Telegraph, the British governments sees the increasing cyberattacks and cyberintrusions from Russia and China as a "cyber cold war.'

To underscore the importance of cybersecurity, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has compared securing cyberspace in the 21st century to securing the high seas in the 19th century and the air in the 20th century.

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