ANU breached by Chinese hackers

The Australian National University has reportedly fallen victim to a cyber attack originating from China and potentially linked to the Chinese government, in an incident that could have national security implications.

Fairfax Media has quoted unnamed government officials as stating that the attack involved a significant compromise of ANU computer networks.

Government security officials have been working with the government to assess the scale of the attack and any information theft.

The ANU would be an attractive target for state-sponsored attackers due to its involvement in defence and strategic research, as well as its role as host of the National Security College, which trains Australian defence and intelligence officials.

But while the ANU has confirmed the breach, the university said that current assessments indicate that no staff, student or research information was taken.

According to the Fairfax report, government officials indicated that the attack has been traced to China and involved the use of malware popular with Chinese hackers, but that there is not yet definitive proof of the Chinese government’s involvement.

The Chinese government has previously been suspected of involvement in attacks on the Bureau of Meteorology in 2015, as well as the theft of 30 GB of unclassified but sensitive military data from a Department of Defence subcontractor last year.

In a statement, Minister for Law Enforcement and Cyber Security Angus Taylor said the Australian Government “condemns any malicious activity that targets Australians and Australian networks. We know that nation states and criminal groups actively target research and tertiary institutions to steal the intellectual property of hardworking Australians.”

But Taylor notably did not mention China in relation to the attack.

Image credit: ©James Thew/Dollar Photo Club

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