Australia’s spy chief warns of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure by Chinese hackers

Mike Burgess, Head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO), accuses state-backed hackers from China of attempting to infiltrate Australia’s critical infrastructure and telecommunications networks.

According to Burgess, “unprecedented levels of espionage” have cost the Australian economy approximately A$12.5 billion between 2023 and 2024, including the loss of A$2 billion in trade secrets and intellectual property.

“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,” he told spectators of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) forum in Melbourne on Wednesday according to ABC News.

Burgess is pointing fingers at Chinese hacking groups like Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon, which targeted telecommunications networks in the United States and Canada last year.

According to the Head of ASIO, the Chinese hacking groups have targeted water, transport, telecommunications, and energy networks in Australia. The goal of these attacks was to gain persistent and undetected access to the IT systems of these businesses.

Burgess urged business leaders not to underestimate the disruptive and devastating consequences of state-sponsored hackers’ attacks, to harden the cyber defenses of their systems, and to better protect sensitive data.

“The loss of availability in any part of our critical infrastructure can be devastating. That’s one phone network not working for less than one day. Imagine the implications if a nation-state took down all the networks? Or turned off the power during a heatwave? Or polluted our drinking water? Or crippled our financial system?,” he warned.

A spokesperson of China’s Department of Foreign Affairs told Reuters that Burgess’s remarks are intended to “spread false narratives and deliberately provoke confrontation.”