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Australia warns of rising Chinese cyber threats to critical infrastructure
Australia's spy chief has issued a stark warning that state-backed Chinese hackers are escalating efforts to infiltrate the nation's critical infrastructure, raising the risk of "high-impact sabotage" within the next five years. Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), described an "unprecedented level of foreign espionage" targeting water, transport, telecommunications, and energy networks.
Chinese hacking groups named in infiltration attempts
Burgess identified two Chinese cyber groups-Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon-as key actors behind recent attacks. Speaking at a business forum in Melbourne on Wednesday, he confirmed both groups operate under the direction of Chinese government intelligence and military agencies. While Salt Typhoon has focused on espionage-breaching U.S. and Australian telecom networks-Volt Typhoon's activities suggest preparation for disruptive sabotage.
"These groups are hackers working for Chinese government intelligence and their military," Burgess stated. "Both were involved in the theft of sensitive information, but the real danger is the threat of sabotage-disruption to critical infrastructure."
"Imagine the implications if a nation-state took down all the networks? Or turned off the power during a heatwave? Or polluted our drinking water? Or crippled our financial system?"
Mike Burgess, ASIO Director-General
Economic and societal risks highlighted
Burgess underscored the potential devastation of such attacks, citing past telecom outages-unrelated to foreign interference-as evidence of society's vulnerability. "That's one phone network not working for less than one day," he noted. "Now imagine coordinated sabotage."
He warned that authoritarian regimes are increasingly willing to deploy cyberattacks to "impede decision-making, damage the economy, undermine military capabilities, and sow social discord." Conservative estimates place Australia's annual espionage losses at A$12.5 billion (US$8.2 billion) for 2023-24, with A$2 billion in stolen trade secrets and intellectual property from private companies alone.
Sophisticated tactics and persistent access
The spy chief described the hackers' methods as "highly sophisticated," employing advanced tradecraft to probe networks, exploit vulnerabilities, and maintain undetected access. "Once inside, they map systems aggressively," Burgess explained, "seeking persistent footholds to enable sabotage at a moment's notice."
Beyond infrastructure, he revealed that foreign spies are broadening targets to include private-sector projects, commercial negotiations, and customer data-mirroring tactics used by cybercriminals.
Chinese embassy sought for response
ASIO's allegations follow a pattern of accusations against Chinese state-linked cyber activity. The Chinese embassy in Australia has been contacted for comment but has not yet responded publicly.
