Cyberwarfare: UK has the ability to launch cyber attacks but does not use it for industrial espionage

[bbc] The UK has the ability to launch cyber attacks but does not use it for industrial espionage like some other countries, minister Lord West has said.

He refused to be drawn on whether it was used for military purposes.

He was speaking as the government launched a new cyber security strategy aimed at combating online attacks.

He told BBC Radio 4's PM programme the UK faced coordinated cyber attacks "on a regular basis" from other countries including Russia and China.

And he confirmed that the British government had approached the Russian and Chinese governments to ask them to stop the attacks.

"We have had a dialogue with them in the past and I wouldn't want to go into what goes on in terms of debate at the moment," he told the BBC.

UK 'has cyber attack capability'