Australian Spy Chief Warns Chinese Hackers Are ‘probing’ Critical Networks For Espionage And Sabotage

Australia’s intelligence caput Mike Burgess has warned that China-backed hackers are “probing” nan country’s captious infrastructure, and successful immoderate cases person gained access. 

Burgess, who heads nan country’s main intelligence agency, nan Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, said that astatine slightest 2 China government-backed hacking groups are pre-positioning for sabotage and espionage.

The comments, made during a convention reside successful Melbourne connected Wednesday, echo akin remarks by nan U.S. government, which has warned that nan ongoing hacking campaigns whitethorn airs risks of economical and societal disruption.

According to Burgess, a hacker group known arsenic Volt Typhoon is trying to break into captious infrastructure networks specified arsenic power, water, and proscription systems. Burgess warned that successful hacks could impact power and h2o supplies, and origin wide outages.

The U.S. has previously said that nan Chinese hackers person spent years planting malware connected captious infrastructure systems that are tin of causing disruptive cyberattacks erstwhile activated. U.S. officials said that Volt Typhoon’s goals are to hamper nan U.S.’ consequence to China’s anticipated early penetration of Taiwan.

“I do not deliberation we — and I mean each of america — genuinely admit really disruptive, really devastating, this could be,” said Burgess, speaking astir nan threat. He said that erstwhile nan hackers person access, what happens adjacent is simply a “matter of intent, not capability.” 

Burgess besides warned that different China-backed hacking group dubbed Salt Typhoon, known for hacking into nan networks of telephone and net companies to bargain telephone records and different delicate data, was besides targeting nan country’s telecoms infrastructure. 

Salt Typhoon has hacked much than 200 telephone and net companies, according to nan FBI, including AT&T, Verizon and Lumen, on pinch respective different unreality and information halfway providers. The hacks prompted nan FBI to urge Americans to move to end-to-end encrypted messaging apps to debar having their calls and matter messages accessed by nan hackers.

The Canadian authorities also confirmed earlier this twelvemonth that its telcos were breached arsenic portion of China-linked attacks.

China has agelong denied nan hacking allegations.