Premier Steven Marshall says SA targeted by cyber criminals every day
Cyber attacks against SA have increased since the coronavirus pandemic hit, the Premier says, but our security systems have withstood the threat – and could lead the country.
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Cyber criminals are attacking sensitive South Australian data every day, says Premier Steven Marshall, who wants the state to become a nation leader in security to stop the attacks.
Mr Marshall said an increase in threats and attacks across the State Government and private sector had coincided with the coronavirus pandemic.
Essential services providers contacted by The Advertiser say they have been unaffected by the latest attacks revealed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday.
But Mr Marshall has urged South Australians to remain vigilant while revealing the extent to which the public and private sector is fighting the continuous battle against cyber crime.
“There are attacks on our data every single day of the year and that’s why we continue to invest very heavily in the defence of our data in South Australia,” Mr Marshall said.
“We’ve seen an increase in the number of threats and attacks on our data both in the private sector and across government coincident with this COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is something we’re very aware of but I can assure the people of South Australia that we have excellent systems in place.
“This is an area where we would like to lead the country and that’s why we’ve invested very significantly in that area.
“We continue to monitor those threats that come in and I’m absolutely convinced that we have the requisite systems in place.”
Mr Marshall said the first group of people were already moving into the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre established at Lot Fourteen.
He warned that cyber attacks were “constantly moving around and constantly morphing” and urged people to remain vigilant.
“My strong message is if you receive any email and you don’t know the source and it provides you with a link as compelling as that link may be don’t open it,” he said.
“The vast majority of all attacks on our data in Australia come through phishing exercises where very attractive emails are sent to people advising them of some information they require, or a gift or an offer … and the attack penetrates the systems that we have.
“Don’t open any link to any email where you don’t have the verified source.”
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Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said it had not received any reports of cyber attacks or threats since Mr Morrison’s announcement.
“We’re checking in with our federal counterparts and there is a significant body of work that’s done by the Australian Federal Police in relation to cyber security in terms of receiving reports and they do filter those to as required,” Mr Stevens said.
“At this point in time we don’t have anything that we’re actively pursuing.
“People should be cautious about opening unfamiliar emails and should be checking the details of the sender before they open that so they can step forward as cautiously as possible.”