Overview
- Director-General Mike Burgess named Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon as China-backed groups targeting Australian telecommunications and other critical systems.
- Burgess said Australia has reached the threshold for potential high-impact sabotage and reported persistent probing of water, transport, energy and telecom networks.
- Salt Typhoon was described as focused on espionage against telecom operators, while Volt Typhoon has pre-positioned in US critical infrastructure for possible sabotage.
- ASIO cited modeling that espionage cost Australia an estimated A$12.5 billion in 2023–24, with cyber-enabled sabotage projected at about A$1.1 billion per incident.
- Businesses and boards were urged to harden defenses and fix known weaknesses; China routinely denies hacking and its embassy did not immediately comment, with no public confirmation of sabotage in Australia.