Adrian Johnson
TLDR:
- Australia, US, and Britain accuse China of cyber espionage carried out by a state-sponsored group.
- The Chinese government denies the allegations, calling them an attempt to smear China.
Australia, along with the United States and Britain, have accused a state-sponsored Chinese spy agency of cyber espionage. The Australian Signals Directorate has attributed the hacking activities to a group called APT40, working on behalf of China’s Ministry of State Security. This marks the first time Australia has directly linked cyber espionage to a state-sponsored Chinese group. Australian officials have stated that the hackers targeted government and business networks with an ongoing threat.
The report was co-authored by Australia’s Five Eyes security alliance partners, along with other countries like Germany, South Korea, and Japan. Despite attempts by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to stabilize ties with China, the accusations of cyber espionage have escalated tensions. China has denied the allegations and criticized the repeated hype around Chinese cyber attacks.
Analysts see the cyber domain as an area of conflict and espionage, especially in light of recent cyber-attacks on major Australian companies. The increased cyber threat has prompted Australia to invest in bolstering its cyber capabilities for defense and non-defense purposes. The accusations come in the wake of similar cyber espionage incidents in New Zealand, where APT40 was blamed for a cyber-attack on the parliamentary computer network.
