Australia targeted in ‘malicious’ cyberattack by state actor, PM Morrison says
- Suspicion has fallen on Beijing, which has recently slapped trade sanctions on Australian products amid an escalating row over Chinese influence
- Australia enraged China by calling for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and accusing China of fuelling a virus ‘infodemic’
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday said his country was under a broad cyberattack from a “sophisticated state-based cyber actor” targeting government, public services and businesses, but declined to name the culprit.
Morrison warned Australians of “specific risks” and an increased frequency of attacks against sensitive institutions during a hastily organised press conference.
“This activity is targeting Australian organisations across a range of sectors, including all levels of government, industry, political organisations, education, health, essential service providers and operators of other critical infrastructure,” he said.
China, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Russia, the United States and a number of European countries are known for their sophisticated cyberwarfare capabilities.
“They really don’t like public criticism and they don’t know how much we might be able to demonstrate that it’s them,” said Jennings, whose institute is part-funded by Australia’s Department of Defence, the US State Department and Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office.