Australia’s top intelligence official is sounding the alarm about the increasing threat posed by Chinese hackers targeting critical infrastructure within the country. Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), warned that at least two China government-backed hacking groups are actively probing and in some cases infiltrating crucial sectors like energy, water supply, and transportation.
Burgess delivered this stark warning during a speech in Melbourne on Wednesday, echoing concerns previously raised by the United States about potential economic and societal disruption stemming from these ongoing cyberattacks. He emphasized that while access alone doesn’t necessarily equate to immediate catastrophe, the ability of these hackers to cause widespread outages or compromise essential services once inside networks cannot be underestimated.
“I do not think we — and I mean all of us — truly appreciate how disruptive, how devastating, this could be,” Burgess stated, underscoring the gravity of the situation. He emphasized that “what happens next is a matter of intent, not capability.”
Specifically, Burgess identified one group known as Volt Typhoon as actively attempting to breach critical infrastructure networks in Australia, mirroring efforts revealed by U.S. authorities earlier this year. The U.S. has documented years of Chinese hackers embedding malware within these very systems, capable of unleashing debilitating cyberattacks on command. According to the U.S., Volt Typhoon’s overarching objective appears to be hindering American response capabilities in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Burgess also highlighted another China-backed hacking group called Salt Typhoon. This group is infamous for infiltrating phone and internet companies, stealing call records, and accessing other sensitive data. Salt Typhoon has allegedly targeted over 200 telecommunication firms globally, including major U.S. providers like AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen, along with numerous cloud and data center companies. The FBI issued warnings urging Americans to utilize end-to-end encrypted messaging apps to safeguard their communications from potential interception by this group. This threat extends beyond American borders: Canada confirmed earlier this year that its telecommunications infrastructure was also compromised as part of China-linked attacks.
China consistently denies allegations of involvement in these hacking operations, maintaining a stance of non-interference and condemnation of cybercrime.
The heightened scrutiny on Chinese state-sponsored hackers reflects growing global concern over the use of digital tools for espionage and potentially destabilizing actions against critical infrastructure.
