RAISING THE ALARM

China Suspected as Australian PM Says the Country Is Under Major Cyber Attack

Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison said political and private sector organizations have been attacked by a “sophisticated state-based cyber actor.”

Australian prime minister Scott Morrison announced on Friday that a number of political, public and private organizations are under attack from what he described as a “sophisticated state-based cyber actor.” He did not specifically name China, but tensions between the countries have risen amid disputes over the spread of the novel coronavirus. Peter Jennings, head of Australia’s Strategic Policy Institute said: “There is one country that has the skill, depth of capacity and a real motive to want to do it and that is China.” He said it is also possible that the attack is from another hostile nation such as Russia or North Korea. Australia’s defense minister Linda Reynolds said the orchestrated attack was “increasing in frequency, scale, in sophistication and in its impact.”