Australia under 'malicious' cyberattack from state actor
Australia's prime minister said Friday his country was under a broad cyberattack from a "state-based actor" targeting government, public services and businesses, but declined to name the culprit, AFP reports.
Warning Australians of "specific risks" and an increased frequency of attacks, Scott Morrison told a hastily organized press conference that a range of sensitive institutions had been hit.
"This activity is targeting Australian organizations across a range of sectors, including all levels of government, industry, political organizations, education, health, essential service providers and operators of other critical infrastructure," he said.
He levelled blame at a "sophisticated state-based cyber actor", that could be one of only a handful of states.
China, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Russia, the United States and a number of European countries are known to have developed cyberwarfare capabilities.
Suspicions will likely fall 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" and engaging in economic "coercion".
China -- increasingly unwilling to tolerate criticism of its more aggressive foreign policies -- has warned its students and tourists against going to Australia, threatened more sanctions and sentenced an Australian citizen to death for drug trafficking.
Similar news
