(Sydney) The Australian government announced on Saturday that a “significant” cybersecurity incident affected several ports in the country operated by the DP World Australia group.
The government is coordinating the response to a “significant cybersecurity incident affecting several Australian ports,” Australian Interior Minister Clare O’Neil said on X (formerly Twitter), without specifying how much port infrastructure was affected.
Canberra is working with the port operator to “measure the impact”, she added.
DP World Australia operates container terminals in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle.
The Australian Cyber Security Center advises the port operator and “provides technical assistance”, National Cyber Security Coordinator Darren Goldie told X.
“The disruption is likely to continue for several days and will impact the movement of goods into and out of the country.”
The National Emergency Management Agency and a coordinating body, convened by the government in the event of a crisis, will meet on Sunday, the official added.
The Australian Federal Police have opened an investigation, said Darren Goldie.
The coordinator, a former Australian Air Force official, was appointed last July in response to several cyberattacks in the country.
Just over a year ago, more than nine million customers of Optus, one of Australia’s largest telecommunications providers, had their personal data stolen in a cyberattack.
Last week, the same operator was the victim of a giant breakdown with still unexplained causes.