Dodgy emails Aussies shouldn’t open: China launches ‘next level’ cyber warfare attack on Australia

Authorities have released a list of names and their email addresses with warnings for Aussies not to open them, as they are part of a Beijing-plot to ‘infiltrate’ our national security. See the list.

Australian authorities have been given a list of 20 names and their email addresses with warnings not to open them, as they are part of a Beijing-plot to “infiltrate” our national security.

The Australian Defence Force has classified the cyber assault on Australia as “unprecedented” with more than 20 different groups operating in clusters or swarms, using highly credible looking but fake gmail and outlook accounts.

China has targeted Australia in unprecedented cyber campaign as it seeks intelligence on Taiwan. Picture: Getty

In its latest outlook, Defence has described the assault as “unrelenting, sophisticated, malicious cyber campaigns at scale to compromise individuals, collect their data and infiltrate, disrupt and deny Defence capabilities”.

Specifically, “indirect entry points” were being exploited through innocuous emails.

“Poor cyber security has the potential to severely impact the utility of Defence’s ships, aircraft, weapons systems and supporting capabilities, such as bases and critical infrastructure. “As a likely precursor to and critical element of future conflict, Defence’s cyber security posture will likely be a determining factor of Australia’s success or defeat.”

Assistant Defence Minister Matt Thistlewaite has released a Defence cyber security strategy to combat adversary threats.

“In the face of increasingly sophisticated cyber threats and regional military modernisation, we must ensure Defence’s information and communications technologies are focused on enhancing the Australian Defence Force’s ability to fight and win in the digital age,” Mr Thistlewaite said.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre identifying and combating relentless cyber phishing attempt by State actors on Australia. Picture: Supplied

Leading US-headquartered cyber security firm Proofpoint agreed the escalation in targeting Australia was next level with specific “mission briefs” to target mostly maritime targets like local ship builders and multinational Defence Primes based in Australia.

“We track about 40 actor groups that we consider to be State sponsored … Iran is the most stabilised in their consistency and China is the biggest when it comes to growth,” Proofpoint’s vice president (threat research and detection) Sherrod DeGrippo said.

“They continue to add new capability quickly, and very highly skilled individuals with a well developed but evolving state sponsored cyber espionage program.”

She said Russia launched a relentless cyber campaign against Ukraine in the years leading up to kinetic conflict and said China’s targeting of Australia was aimed at intel ahead of a possible Taiwan invasion.

“China is hitting Australia in a way that is deliberately furthering their future interests. I’m wondering if Taiwan is going to go that way as well. Certainly no one wants that but the policy from the regime in China now is seemingly ‘we will not pass on the Taiwan problem’ and I know Xi Jinping’s typically said we cannot made Taiwan a generation after generation problem, sort of indicating that it is going to stop with him, so that is certainly something that could turn kinetic as well.”

“They are likely adding additional groups within Chinese espionage capability to go after Australia specifically now, honing their craft a little bit.”