Melbourne, Australia – Australian intelligence chief Mike Burgess warned on Wednesday of infiltration attempts by Chinese state-backed hackers targeting Australia’s
communications networks and critical infrastructure.
He confirmed that cyber espionage cost the Australian economy about $12.5 billion during 2023-2024.
Potential major disruptions
In a speech before a business forum organized by the Australian Securities
and Investments Commission in Melbourne,
The head of Australian intelligence described the situation as “an era
of strategic surprise and security fragility.”
He warned of potentially major disruptions
that could result from these hacking operations.
Highly sophisticated operations
The head of Australian intelligence referred to the two pirate groups,
Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon.
Which targeted infrastructure networks in Australia and the United States,
This includes networks that support the US military presence in Guam.
He described the operations as highly sophisticated and aimed at continuous,
undetected access to vital systems.
It will cost the economy billions
Burgess warned that these breaches could allow for communication disruptions,
power outages, or the paralysis of the water or financial systems.
He stressed that the impact of any incident would cost the economy billions of dollars.
The head of Australian intelligence said: “Cyber sabotage of critical infrastructure
could cost the economy $1.1 billion per incident.”
The cost of a full week of disruption could reach $6 billion.
Enhance data security
The head of Australian intelligence also stressed the risk of foreign
dissidents being targeted on Australian soil.
He urged companies to strengthen data and system security to reduce risks.
Burgess added that cyber espionage is part of a broader threat landscape
that includes political extremism and ideologically motivated violence.
He stressed that the levels of espionage and threats have
become unprecedented and extremely dangerous.
