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The threat of computer attacks is on a par with international terrorism and major accidents
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Defence Minister Nick Harvey is due to highlight the cyber attack threat facing Britain in a speech to a leading think tank.
In his address to Chatham House, he is expected to warn that, in the wrong hands, a laptop could be as effective a weapon as a cruise missile.
He will also set out how the government plans to use cyberspace to help the military fight the wars of the future.
Ministers see cyber warfare as one of the UK's biggest emerging threats.
In the government's recent national security strategy, cyber security, alongside terrorism and a flu pandemic, was identified as a "tier one" threat to the UK.
It will spend £650m over the next four years on a National Cyber Security Programme, aimed at protecting individuals and the national infrastructure from hostile computer attacks.
BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale says Mr Harvey will spell out that the threat is real and the government must work with industry and academia to combat it.
So far the focus has been on the threats posed to the UK, rather than how Britain could use cyber warfare to enhance its conventional military capabilities.
"Mr Harvey will also outline plans to use cyber warfare to back up Britain's military capabilities by exploiting an enemy's weakness," our correspondent added.
"He says in future the nation must win the battle in cyberspace as well as the battle on the ground."
Mr Harvey is expected to say that despite the dangers of cyber crime, the public should not just focus on the "doom and gloom".
He will say the government is still excited about the way the internet and digital technology enables people to expand their horizons and express their freedoms.
But he believes governments across the world will have to establish laws governing cyberspace and how it is used.
There have been warnings from ministers and security chiefs about the threat in recent weeks.
Last month, the head of GCHQ, Iain Lobben, said 1,000 malicious e-mails a month were being targeted at government computer networks.
In a rare public appearance, the intelligence agency's director said the UK's critical infrastructure, such as power grids and emergency services, aced a "real and credible" threat of cyber attack.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The threat of computer attacks is on a par with international terrorism and major accidents Related stories
Defence Minister Nick Harvey is due to highlight the cyber attack threat facing Britain in a speech to a leading think tank.
In his address to Chatham House, he is expected to warn that, in the wrong hands, a laptop could be as effective a weapon as a cruise missile.
He will also set out how the government plans to use cyberspace to help the military fight the wars of the future.
Ministers see cyber warfare as one of the UK's biggest emerging threats.
In the government's recent national security strategy, cyber security, alongside terrorism and a flu pandemic, was identified as a "tier one" threat to the UK.
It will spend £650m over the next four years on a National Cyber Security Programme, aimed at protecting individuals and the national infrastructure from hostile computer attacks.
BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale says Mr Harvey will spell out that the threat is real and the government must work with industry and academia to combat it.
So far the focus has been on the threats posed to the UK, rather than how Britain could use cyber warfare to enhance its conventional military capabilities.
"Mr Harvey will also outline plans to use cyber warfare to back up Britain's military capabilities by exploiting an enemy's weakness," our correspondent added.
"He says in future the nation must win the battle in cyberspace as well as the battle on the ground."
Mr Harvey is expected to say that despite the dangers of cyber crime, the public should not just focus on the "doom and gloom".
He will say the government is still excited about the way the internet and digital technology enables people to expand their horizons and express their freedoms.
But he believes governments across the world will have to establish laws governing cyberspace and how it is used.
There have been warnings from ministers and security chiefs about the threat in recent weeks.
Last month, the head of GCHQ, Iain Lobben, said 1,000 malicious e-mails a month were being targeted at government computer networks.
In a rare public appearance, the intelligence agency's director said the UK's critical infrastructure, such as power grids and emergency services, aced a "real and credible" threat of cyber attack.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.