The hacking of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology’s network in 2015 was the work of foreign powers, which managed to install malicious software and steal sensitive documents, according to a report to be released on Wednesday by the federal government.
The report by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) says a recent series of brazen attacks on high-profile targets shows there is a willingness to use disruptive and destructive measures to seriously impede or embarrass organisations and governments.
It also says that common security controls put in place to try to counteract hacking are “insufficient” and failed to protect the BoM.
Dan Tehan, the minister for cybersecurity, would not reveal which countries were believed to be behind the attacks, but he said the threat was real and increasing.
“We don’t narrow it down to specific countries. And we do that deliberately. But what we have indicated is that cyberespionage is alive and well,” he told ABC News 24.
“We have to make sure that we’re taking all the steps necessary to keep us safe, because the threat is there. The threat is real. Cybersecurity is something that we, as a nation, have to take very seriously.”
The ABC has previously reported that China is believed to be behind the attack on the BoM, which provides critical information to a number of government departments, including Defence.
The Australian Signals Directorate logged 1,095 cybersecurity attacks that were “serious enough to warrant operational responses” between January 2015 and June 2016, according to the ACSC.
But the 2016 Threat Report warns the figure is likely to rise and that within three years terrorists may be able to access and compromise government computer networks.