Britain sends cyber teams overseas to hunt hackers. The disclosure follows 90,000 attacks on defence networks and cyberattacks on European refrigeration systems.

Britain is now deploying specialist military cyber teams inside allied countries to find and disrupt hackers before they reach UK military networks. Major General Mike Fayers disclosed the previously unpublicized operations on November 9. The 700-plus-member Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force can deploy by land, sea or air, with host-government approval, targeting both state-backed groups and criminal networks. This is the next step in a policy Britain has been building for years: the National Cyber Force was established in 2020, and the 2025 Strategic Defence Review called for a more proactive military cyber posture. The urgency is reflected in the numbers. The Ministry of Defence has reported more than 90,000 cyberattacks against defence systems in a 12-month period. Meanwhile, attacks on internet-connected refrigeration equipment have disrupted supermarkets across Europe, spoiled food and affected French blood-storage facilities. French investigators now suspect Iranian state-backed hackers in the first wave, although responsibility has not been established. Fayers also warns that AI is compressing the time available to fix vulnerabilities from days to minutes. Britain is moving its cyber defence beyond its own networks, while the attacks show how ordinary commercial equipment can become a target.

🇬🇧NEW: UK MILITARY DEPLOYS CYBER “HUNT FORCES” ABROAD TO DISRUPT HOSTILE HACKERS
Britain is sending specialist military cyber teams overseas to identify and disrupt hostile hackers before they can attack UK defence systems, according to Major General Mike Fayers.
Speaking to… pic.twitter.com/tzE9hxHK1O
— Coffe Report (@CoffeReport) November 9, 2026