Overview
- Speaking at an Australian Securities and Investments Commission forum in Melbourne, ASIO chief Mike Burgess said hostile activity now meets the threshold for potential high-impact sabotage.
- Salt Typhoon was described as espionage-focused, including penetration of U.S. telecommunications, while Volt Typhoon was said to have pre-positioned in U.S. critical infrastructure for potential disruption, including networks supporting Guam.
- Burgess said Chinese state-linked hackers have probed Australian telecommunications and critical infrastructure, with targeting observed across water, transport, energy and communications systems.
- ASIO cited an estimated A$12.5 billion cost from espionage in 2023–24 and referenced modeling that cyber-enabled sabotage could cost about A$1.1 billion per incident and roughly A$6 billion for a week-long disruption.
- The Chinese government routinely denies involvement in hacking, as Burgess urged boards to improve governance, close known vulnerabilities and prevent persistent, undetected access.