Australia accuses foreign govt of cyber-attack on lawmakers
SYDNEY (Reuters) — A cyber-attack on Australian lawmakers that breached the networks of major political parties was probably carried out by a foreign government, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, but did not name any suspects.
As Australia heads for an election due by May, lawmakers were told this month to urgently change their passwords after the cyber intelligence agency detected an attack on the national parliament’s computer network.
The hackers breached the networks of major political parties, Morrison said, as he issued an initial assessment by investigators.
“Our cyber experts believe that a sophisticated state actor is responsible for this malicious activity,” he told Parliament.
“We also became aware that the networks of some political parties, Liberal, Labor and Nationals have also been affected.”
Morrison did not reveal what information was accessed, but he said there was no evidence of election interference.
Investors are still securing local networks, said Alastair MacGibbon, head of the Australian Cyber Security Center, the government department responsible for online security.
“Our political institutions represent high-value targets,” MacGibbon told reporters in Canberra.
“We will continue to work with our friends and colleagues, both here and overseas, to work out who is behind it and hopefully their intent.”
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