Australian Intelligence Secretary Mike Burgess has warned that Chinese-backed hackers are “probing” and in some cases gaining access to the country's critical infrastructure.
Mr Burgess, head of the country's main intelligence agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Agency, said at least two Chinese government-backed hacker groups were preparing sabotage and espionage operations.
The comments, made in a speech at a conference in Melbourne on Wednesday, echoed similar remarks from the US government, which warned that ongoing hacking operations could pose a risk of economic and social disruption.
Burgess said a group of hackers known as Bolt Typhoon is trying to break into critical infrastructure networks such as power, water and transportation systems. Mr Burgess warned that a successful hack could impact energy and water supplies and cause widespread power outages.
The United States has previously said that Chinese hackers have spent years planting malware on critical infrastructure systems that, when activated, can lead to devastating cyberattacks. U.S. officials said the Bolt Typhoon's purpose was to thwart a U.S. response to an expected future Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
“I don't think we, I mean all of us, really understand how disruptive and devastating this could be,” Burgess said of the threat. He said that once a hacker gains access, what happens next is “not a matter of ability, but a matter of intent.”
Burgess also warned that another Chinese-backed hacker group, Salt Typhoon, known for hacking into the networks of telephone and internet companies to steal call records and other sensitive data, was also targeting the country's communications infrastructure.
According to the FBI, Salt Typhoon hacked more than 200 phone and internet companies, including AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen, as well as other cloud and data center providers. In response to the hack, the FBI urged Americans to switch to end-to-end encrypted messaging apps to prevent hackers from gaining access to their calls and text messages.
The Canadian government also acknowledged earlier this year that its telecommunications company had been compromised as part of a China-related attack.
China has long denied the hacking allegations.