Australia condemns ‘malicious’ cyber attack campaigns by Chinese state-backed hackers

Australia has backed the UK and the US after it accused Chinese state-backed hackers of a string of malicious cyber attacks.

Britain’s deputy minister announced sanctions against two individuals and one company linked to a state-affiliated group, which he said compromised the voting data of tens of millions of people.

It came as Washington officials indicted seven individuals on Monday who allegedly conducted hacks against US companies and government officials on behalf of Chinese intelligence services.

In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil called the targeting of democratic institutions and processes “unacceptable”.

“The Australian Government joins the United Kingdom and other international partners in expressing serious concerns about malicious cyber activities by China state-backed actors targeting UK democratic institutions and parliamentarians,” they said.

“The persistent targeting of democratic institutions and processes has implications for democratic and open societies like Australia. This behaviour is unacceptable and must stop.”

The government said Australia’s electoral systems were not compromised by the cyber campaigns targeting the UK.

The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) singled out China as the main culprit behind state-backed cyber hacks on large companies and critical infrastructure in a cyber threat report released in November.