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.

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.

Morrison said that he had notified the leader of the opposition and state leaders of the cyberattacks, which he described as "malicious".

He did not elaborate on what type of attacks had taken place, but said no personal data had been compromised and many of the attacks were unsuccessful.

"They are not new risks, but they are specific risks," he said, urging Australian firms and institutions to protect themselves.

"We encourage organisations, particularly those in the health, critical infrastructure and essential services to take expert advice and to implement technical defences," he said.

That warning is likely to raise alarm bells as the country's medical facilities -- already on crisis footing because of the coronavirus pandemic -- could come under further strain.

Related Links
Cyberwar - Internet Security News - Systems and Policy Issues

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Flirting with danger: Message apps add to China marital woes
Shanghai (AFP) June 17, 2020
Echo couldn't figure out why her Shanghai businessman husband routinely came home well past midnight, straining their 10-year marriage - until she looked at his phone. Flirtatious messages from other women revealed a pattern of affairs facilitated by WeChat, China's top messaging app. WeChat and other platforms have helped revolutionise inter-personal relations in China, but are also blamed for adding to growing strain on Chinese marriages by making it easier to flirt with potential new partner ... read more