Karen Andrews on Tuesday morning declaring China 'won't get away with' a huge cyber attack on 30,000 companies around the world
China 'won't get away with' a huge cyber attack on 30,000 companies around the world, Karen Andrews said on Tuesday.
The Home Affairs Minister slammed Beijing for 'undermining international stability' after Australia joined the US, UK, European Union, New Zealand, Canada, and NATO in accusing Beijing of a large hack on the Microsoft Exchange email server earlier this year.
The allies alleged China's Ministry of State Security used 'contract hackers' to attack companies and government bodies, costing them billions of dollars in stolen intellectual property, ransom payments and cyber-security defence efforts.
Chinese state media has branded the claims a 'huge lie' and said the US 'enlisted' its allies to 'smear' and 'frame' Beijing.
Independent Senator Rex Patrick called for sanctions on China but former national cyber security adviser Alastair MacGibbon said 'the reality is consequences for China will be pretty low'.
Ms Andrews insisted naming and shaming Beijing was a punishment in itself.
'They wont get away with it Scot-free. There are many nations that have come out and attributed this attack to China so there is significant reputational damage to China - they have been called out,' she told reporters on Tuesday.
In the past, Australia attributed cyber attacks to Iran, China, North Korea, and Russia - but it's rare to publicly single out a government.
Ms Andrews said Australia was willing to name China because it was backed up by allies and had a 'very high level of confidence' that Beijing was the culprit.
'We will not compromise our position on sovereignty and national security, we needed to call out this malicious cyber attack,' she said.
Ms Andrews said 30,000 businesses were affected worldwide but did not say how many in Australia.
'It was a significant data breach and access was enabled to these systems so they could be commanded and controlled from outside the organisation,' she said.
The Australian Government took a bold step in its ongoing diplomatic spat with China and it's President-for-life Xi Jinping (pictured), naming the communist state as the party responsible for a series of 'malicious' cyber attacks
Asked if any customer data was taken, she said: 'We do know that data theft happens here in Australia, we do know that identity theft happens here in Australia.'
Ms Andrews said Australian companies and individuals should make sure their data is secure and slammed China for undermining national security.
'Australia publicly attributes cyber-incidents when it's in our interests to do so, especially those with the potential to undermine global economic growth, national security and international stability,' she said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the March hack of Microsoft Exchange, a top email server for corporations around the world, was part of a 'pattern of irresponsible, disruptive and destabilizing behavior in cyberspace, which poses a major threat to our economic and national security'.
China's Ministry of State Security 'has fostered an ecosystem of criminal contract hackers who carry out both state-sponsored activities and cybercrime for their own financial gain', Blinken said in a statement.
In a simultaneous announcement, the US Department of Justice said four Chinese nationals had been charged with hacking the computers of dozens of companies, universities and government bodies in the US and abroad between 2011 and 2018.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison in June last year shocked the nation by outlining how an unnamed 'state-actor' had targeted banks, universities, hospitals, transport networks, electricity grids, and the military, as part of a lengthy cyber-warfare campaign against Australia.
China-watchers and security experts pointed the finger squarely at Beijing, with insiders claiming the cyber invasion was payback for Australia's decision to ban Chinese state firm Huawei from the national 5G network in 2018 over national security concerns.
Scott Morrison (pictured) in June last year shocked the nation by outlining how an unnamed 'state actor' targeted banks, universities, hospitals, transport networks, electricity grids, and the military, as part of a lengthy cyber-warfare campaign against Australia
On Monday night Karen Andrews released a joint statement with Defence Minister Peter Dutton, Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne, and Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews on the latest attack.
'In consultation with our partners, the Australian Government has determined that China's Ministry of State Security exploited vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Exchange software to affect thousands of computers and networks worldwide, including in Australia,' the statement read.
'These actions have undermined international stability and security by opening the door to a range of other actors, including cybercriminals, who continue to exploit this vulnerability for illicit gain.'
The statement went on to say the Australian Government was aware and seriously concerned that China's Ministry of State Security was hiring 'contract hackers' to carryout intellectual property crimes on behalf of the Beijing.
'Australia calls on all countries – including China – to
