The Reserve Bank of Australia has disclosed the results of its internal investigation of the cyber attacks that show characteristics of Chinese origin. The conclusions of the investigation are unequivocal. The RBA’s computer networks have been repeatedly and successfully hacked.
Although the results of the investigation are not fully public, some information has been published by the Australian Financial Review. It is worth stressing that the Austrian central bank was unwilling to disclose any information pertaining to the attacks and it was the investigative effort of the Australian journalists which has prompted a partial disclosure. So far, the mechanics of the attack have been described as “infiltration”, combined with the usage of “Chinese-developed malicious software”. An unnamed Australian official told the press that “the targeting of high profile events, such as the G20, by state-sponsored adversaries... is a real and persistent threat. Cyber intruders are looking for information on... the government’s intentions.” The analysts from Zerohedge point out that this attack appears to be related to the 2011 G20 summit “at which the French government has already confirmed over 150 computers were hacked for months with files redirected to Chinese sites”. Officials from the Risk Management Unit of the Reserve Bank of Australia have told the Australian Financial Review that “Bank assets could have been potentially compromised, leading to... information loss and reputation damage”. During the last several months, hackers have targeted numerous financial and governmental institutions. Private individuals are also not safe from hackers. Recently, a hacktivist group published the financial and personal information of American political figures and celebrities. It seems that both cyber warfare and cyber espionage have already become a major problem for governments, corporations and individuals. It is likely that a new arms race in the cyber security industry is already underway.TSource: Voice of Russia
