Australia sounds warning over state-backed Chinese hackers

SYDNEY: Australia's cyber intelligence agency sounded a rare warning Tuesday about the rising threat of state-backed Chinese hackers, saying they were "actively" looking for targets to compromise. The Australian Signals Directorate singled out the APT40 hacking group in a detailed, technical advisory note that unpicked its evolving tradecraft. ADVERTISEMENT "APT40 has repeatedly targeted Australian networks as well as government and private sector networks in the region, and the threat they pose to our networks is ongoing," the note read. The Australian Signals Directorate said APT40 -- meaning Advanced Persistent Threat -- conducted "malicious cyber operations" for an arm of China's Ministry of State Security based in Hainan Province. SPONSORED CONTENT Shell awards Sabah LiveWIRE winners Kota Kinabalu: Shell has awarded five enterprises as the state winners of Shell LiveWIRE Malays...