Australia reports large-scale cyberattacks

A “sophisticated state-based cyber actor” has targeted government agencies, essential services, businesses, and critical infrastructure in Australia over the past several months, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday. He added that investigators have not identified any large-scale breach of personal data and many of the intrusions were thwarted successfully. Yet Morrison made the threat public to encourage organizations to ramp up their technical defenses.

Who is behind the attacks? The prime minister did not publicly identify any nation responsible for the hacks but noted, “There aren’t too many state-based actors who have those capabilities.” Cyber intelligence experts pointed to China as the culprit as relations between the two countries continue to worsen. In recent weeks, China has banned beef exports from Australia and slapped an 80 percent tariff on barley after Australia called for an independent probe into China’s role in the coronavirus outbreak.

Dig deeper: Read June Cheng’s report on how Australia and other nations demanded answers from China about its role in the pandemic.