Cyber Attacks Against Australia Continue To Increase: Serious Threats To Critical And Business Infrastructure

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles (photo: x @RichardMarlesMP)

JAKARTA - According to an Australian government report, cyber groups backed by several countries have stepped up attacks on critical infrastructure, businesses and homes in Australia. The report adds that Australia's new defense agreement with the United Kingdom and the United States is likely to make it more vulnerable as a target.

An annual threat report from the Australian Cyber Security Center on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, recorded a 23% increase in cybercrime reports to more than 94,000 for one year to June. They expect cyberattacks to occur every six minutes.

"The cyber threat continues to grow," Defense Minister Richard Marles told ABC Radio, some time ago. "We also see the greater interest of state actors in Australia's critical infrastructure."

Record Of Traces Of Large Cyber Attacks In Australia

Cyberattacks are not only limited to critical infrastructure but also have a broad impact on various sectors in Australia. Some of the major attacks that occurred earlier were as follows:

Australian DP World Port Operator

On November 10, 2023, Australia's largest port operator, DP World Australia, was hit by a cyberattack that crippled its operations for three days. The company manages about 40% of goods coming in and out of Australia. The attack disrupted container terminals in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Fremantle. Hackers accessed files containing personal employee details, although customer data was not affected.

Victorian Court Service

On January 2, 2024, Australian officials also announced that hackers had accessed a court record database in the state of Victoria, Australia. The attack disrupted an audio-visual technology network inside the courtroom, impacting transcription footage and services. Footages of several court hearings between November 1 and December 21, 2023 may have been stolen.

Automotive Eagers Car Dealer Group

At the end of 2023, car dealer group Eagers Automotive also reported cyber incidents that hit their IT system. This attack caused disruption to the company's operations and services.

IT outages on July 19, 2024

In comparison, the massive outage on July 19, 2024 also had a significant impact on various sectors in Australia. This outage affects various Microsoft 365 applications and services, such as PowerBI, Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft 365 Admin Center. Users are having trouble accessing this service, which disrupts business and administrative operations.

Major banks such as Commonwealth Bank and Westpac also experience cyber attacks. Commonwealth Bank confirmed that some customers had difficulty making payments using PayID. Although transactions between accounts and through BSB and account numbers can still be done, this shows a significant impact on the banking sector. Westpac stated that applications dealing with customers were not affected.

The Attitude Of The Australian Government

Australia's federal government announced a cybersecurity renovation on Wednesday, November 22, following a series of attacks. The government will provide cybersecurity checks for small businesses, increase cyber law enforcement funding, and introduce mandatory reporting of ransomware attacks. They will also impose stricter cyber reporting rules for telecommunications companies, which apply to critical infrastructure.

"Our future cannot be continued as it is now," said Cyber and Domestic Security Minister Clare O'Neil. "We cannot have a situation where data is moving across the country, where critical infrastructure is starting to fail, where small businesses and citizens keep telling us they feel vulnerable and unable to address cyber threats themselves," said O'Neil.

Big companies support this plan. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) said that 44% of the companies surveyed had no plans to stop data breaches originating from supply chain partners. The small business sector is driving major economic growth but continues to face worrying cybercrime rates.

"The small business sector is driving a huge economic growth but they continue to face worrying cybercrime rates," said Patrick Wright, head of technology and operations of the Australian national banking company (NAB.AX).

With large cyberattacks continuing to rise, governments and the private sector in Australia continue to strive to strengthen cybersecurity to protect critical infrastructure and businesses from the growing threat.