Hi-tech tool to prevent next terror attack revealed

Australian spies are using cutting-edge technology to foil the next terror attack with the nation on alert amid a rise in radicalisation.

Cutting-edge tech and AI are the next weapons Australia is deploying in a bid to head off the next terrorist attack, as the nation’s spooks fear an increased chance of an incident after radicalisation sped up in the past year.

Taking a new approach to national security, recently-appointed Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews, a former engineer, said there will be a strong technology focus under her leadership.

The new focus will be applied across the board, including to Operation Sovereign Borders, police pursuit of child exploitation, defence against cyber assaults and terrorism.

Using AI to scour recordings and data of suspected terror suspects, and “tech dogs” – specialised trained sniffer dogs who can ferret out hidden USBs – will increasingly be used in Australia’s defence arsenal.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews is taking a tech-based focus to national security. Picture: Gary Ramage

Speaking to The Courier-Mail, Ms Andrews said spy agency ASIO was reporting an increase in radicalisation in the past 14 months during Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions, particularly from ideologically-motivated and religious extremists.

She said AI was being used to scour the masses of data collected and to help ASIO operatives find the links, potentially giving them the extra time needed to foil an attack.

“There are people out there right now who want to harm Australians. We need to be alert to threats to us here,” she said.

“It’s difficult for people to travel around the world at the moment. That will change.”

She said there was $1.3 billion over 10 years in the budget for ASIO to increase its capabilities, including on the use of artificial intelligence.

“We will be increasingly looking at, artificial intelligence,” Ms Andrews said.

“(ASIO) are very good at collecting the dots, what technology and particularly AI enables them to do was start to connect all of those dots. Tech will give them the opportunity to quickly find the links.”

She said “tech dogs” capable of sniffing out USB storage devices would increasingly be used by the AFP to help crackdown on paedophile and child pornography rings.

Cyber crime will be an increased focus under Home Affairs.

Ms Andrews said cyber crime would also be a focus, and she had begun working with the Cyber Security Strategy Industry Advisory Panel’s chairman, Andy Penn, about engaging with businesses to take greater responsibility for cyber security.

“Corporate Australia has to make sure that they are taking responsibility for defending themselves,” she said.

“We know that there are risks to our infrastructure… particularly to our critical infrastructure.

”Businesses are under an increasing threat and they need to be taking action.”