SYDNEY, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Australia has expressed concern regarding the fact that one in ten cybersecurity incidents reported last year involved critical infrastructure. State-sponsored actors have been identified as targeting the nation’s government, infrastructure, and businesses through increasingly sophisticated methods.
According to a report released by the Australian Signals Directorate on Wednesday, over 11% of cybersecurity incidents in the previous year were associated with critical infrastructure sectors, which include electricity, gas, water, education, and transportation services.
Among these incidents, 25% were classified as phishing attacks, 21% involved the exploitation of public-facing interfaces, and 15% were attributed to brute-force attempts.
Defence Minister Richard Marles stated in a radio interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that there is a troubling increase in the focus of both cybercriminals and state actors on critical infrastructure.
He noted that Australia has collaborated with international partners to attribute various cyber incidents over the past year to China, Russia, and Iran. The report indicated that China is advancing its cyber techniques, with its choice of targets and operational behavior suggesting a strategy aimed at creating disruptive effects rather than engaging in traditional cyber espionage.
Beijing has consistently denied allegations from the U.S. and Australian governments regarding its use of hackers to infiltrate foreign computer systems.
