BRITAIN’S top female spy is to lead a new cyber warfare agency tasked with combating rogue states, terror cells and fake news.
The woman, unidentified for security reasons, is an Oxbridge graduate in her mid-40s who worked at GCHQ.
She will run the National Cyber Force, a joint venture between GCHQ and the Ministry of Defence.
The agency will carry out retaliatory attacks against Russia and Iran, including the hacking of mobile, computer and satellite networks to remove fake news from social media.
A Whitehall source told The Sunday Times: “The specialist who will be running the National Cyber Force is not only the best woman cyber spy in Britain, but the best offensive cyber spy this country has.
“She is a highly experienced operator who is very well versed in military operations.”
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Britain’s eagerness to expand its cyber warfare operations follows a series of state-sponsored attacks against the UK in the past two years.
Iran tried to hack 9,000 parliamentary email accounts in June 2017, but the regime only comprised around 30.
The NCF will have a budget of £250million and be staffed by 500 hackers, gradually increasing to 3,000 by 2030.
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