Australian PM's computer hacked: report
AFP News – Tue, Mar 29, 2011 10:57 AM SGT
The parliamentary computer of Australian premier Julia Gillard
is suspected of being hacked along with those of the foreign
minister and defence minister, with China under suspicion, a report
said Tuesday.
Sydney's Daily Telegraph said American intelligence officials
tipped off the government that several thousand emails may have
been accessed from the computers of at least 10 ministers.
As well as Gillard, they reportedly included Foreign Minister Kevin
Rudd and Defence Minister Stephen Smith.
The paper said the espionage occurred over more than a month,
beginning in February.
"Four separate government sources confirmed that they had been told
Chinese intelligence agencies were among a list of foreign hackers
that are under suspicion," it said.
Attorney-General Robert McClelland refused to confirm or deny the
incident.
"It's the long standing practice of successive Australian
governments not to comment on the operations of security and
intelligence agencies," he said in a statement.
"Australia's security and intelligence agencies, as a matter of
course, work closely and co-operatively with their international
counterparts on cyber security.
"The Australian government takes the issue of cyber security very
seriously and is constantly strengthening cyber security measures,"
he said.
The cyber attacks are believed to have been on the Australian
Parliament House email network, the less secure of two networks
used by MPs.
Ministers use a departmental network for more high-security
communications.