Sydney, November 14: Australia’s top intelligence official said on Wednesday that hackers linked to China’s government and military had probed the country’s telecommunications networks and key infrastructure, warning that foreign cyber sabotage could cause significant economic disruption.
Mike Burgess, the director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), told a business conference in Melbourne that espionage had cost Australia an estimated A$12.5 billion ($8.1 billion) last year, including A$2 billion in stolen trade secrets and intellectual property.
Burgess highlighted the activities of alleged Chinese state-backed hacking groups Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon, describing them as operatives working for Chinese government intelligence and the military. “We have seen Chinese hackers probing our critical infrastructure as well,” he said.
Salt Typhoon had previously infiltrated U.S. telecommunications systems in a strategic spying operation and had also targeted Australian networks, Burgess said. He added that Volt Typhoon had shown intent to disrupt operations and had compromised U.S. critical infrastructure to position itself for possible sabotage.
Burgess warned that widespread telecoms disruption could affect banks, transport and essential utilities such as water and electricity. “I assure you; these are not hypotheticals – foreign governments have elite teams investigating these possibilities right now,” he said.
He also pointed to other risks, including an Australian company being weakened to benefit a foreign trade competitor or foreign interference causing public panic during an election.
In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun dismissed the allegations, saying Burgess’s remarks “spread false narratives and deliberately provoked confrontation”. China had lodged formal complaints with the Australian government, he told a regular briefing.
Burgess said Chinese officials routinely protested to the Australian government and private sector whenever he publicly discussed security concerns involving China. “It won’t stop my resolve,” he said.
