Australia’s Parliament House and the country’s Channel Nine television network both recently fell victim to cyberattacks and at this time it’s still unclear as to whether or not the attacks were related.
As reported by Sky News, a cyberattack disrupted Channel Nine’s live broadcasts from Sydney and at the same time, an attack led to Parliament House’s email system being taken offline.
While the nature of the attack against the television network has yet to be confirmed, Channel Nine has begun an investigation into the matter to determine if it was “criminal sabotage or the work of a foreign nation”.
Targeting Australia
In a statement to News.com.au, Australia’s assistant minister for defense Andre Hastie explained that cybersecurity isn’t something for Australians to take lightly, saying:
“This is a timely reminder that Australians cannot be complacent about their cyber security. Cyber security is a team effort and a shared responsibility. It is vital that Australian businesses and organisations are alert to this threat and take the necessary steps to ensure our digital sovereignty.”
Hastie also explained to the news outlet that the government was forced to cut access to IT and email services at Parliament House in order to protect against a cyberattack related to an external provider. However, Hastie nor the Australian government have yet to say which external provider was targeted by attackers.
We’ll likely found out more once Channel Nine and the Australian government conclude their respective investigations into the matter.
Via Sky News
