ELECTION THREATS
EU to boost defences to curb Russian cyber attacks
Russia-backed operatives and their copycats are expected to unleash cyber meddling ahead of the bloc’s elections
Brussels — EU officials are bracing for attempted meddling by Russia-backed operatives and their copycats ahead of the bloc’s elections in the spring, where far-right parties are expected to make gains. That has led the bloc to bolster its defences against cyber-attacks and pressure tech platforms to ramp up the fight against misinformation. "Today’s cyber bullets are getting harder to spot and harder to stop," said EU security commissioner Julian King at a conference on Monday in Brussels on election interference. "The need for action on this is urgent … doing nothing risks our democratic processes being undermined," he said. Elections to the European Parliament will be held in May 2019, amid a surge in support for populist parties that oppose further integration in the bloc and want to end Russian sanctions. Russian-backed campaigns European officials are also concerned that Russian-backed campaigns — mostly through social media platforms – could boost support for parties that are...
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