The nation's top intelligence chief has warned that China is actively attempting to hack into Australian critical infrastructure and telco networks.
ASIO director-general Mike Burgess, made the comments during an ASIC forum in Melbourne today, urging attendees and businesses in general to boost their security systems to help protect sensitive data as we enter an age of “strategic surprise and security fragility”.
He stated that hacking attempts are already underway from Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon, backed by the Chinese state, and that this was not a future problem but happening right now.
These groups have already launched campaigns against the U.S. on telco networks and critical infrastructure.
“I have previously said we're getting closer to the threshold for high-impact sabotage…well, I regret to inform you — we're there now," Burgess told attendees.
He did not name Beijing outright, but inferred heavily that that was who he believed to be behind this new era of cyber attacks, saying he was aware of "one nation state — no prizes for guessing which one — conducting multiple attempts to scan and penetrate critical infrastructure in Australia and other Five Eyes countries".
These attacks have reportedly been aimed at water, transport, telecommunications and energy networks, and are “highly sophisticated”.
