Australia’s spy chief said hackers working for China’s government and military had probed the country’s telecoms network and key infrastructure, warning against the risk of economic disruption from sabotage.
China dismissed the remarks as a “false narrative”, however.
Mike Burgess, the director general of security for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, said espionage was estimated to have cost the country $12.5 billion last year.
That included the loss of $2 billion in trade secrets and intellectual property, he told a business conference in Melbourne.
Burgess highlighted the threat of cyber sabotage, describing the activities of the Chinese hacking groups Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon, which he described as “hackers working for Chinese government intelligence and their military”.
He added, “We have seen Chinese hackers probing our critical infrastructure as well.”
In Beijing, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Burgess’s remarks “spread false narratives and deliberately provoked confrontation”.
China has made representations to Australia about them, the spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, told a regular briefing.
Intent to disrupt operations
Burgess said Salt Typhoon had not only penetrated US telecoms systems in a strategic spying operation but also has “been probing our telecommunication networks here in Australia too”.
Volt Typhoon had an intention to disrupt operations, he said, and compromised US critical infrastructure to pre-position for potential sabotage.
Burgess warned of the impact of widespread telecoms disruption, in areas such as banks and transport, as well as cutting off supplies of water and power.
“I assure you; these are not hypotheticals – foreign governments have elite teams investigating these possibilities right now,” he said.
Other potential scenarios included an Australian company being crippled as a trade competitor, or panic caused during an election, he added.
Chinese officials made complaints to the Australian government and private sector about ASIO whenever he spoke publicly about China, Burgess said during a speech last week at the Lowy Institute in Sydney.
“It won’t stop my resolve,” he said.