02-08-2019 , 01:19 PM
Quote:Federal MPs' emails and data may have been compromised by a cyber attack on Parliament that is being described as "sophisticated", suggesting the involvement of a foreign government.
While sources said it was too early to say who was behind the attack, they said the fact that Parliament had significantly upgraded its cyber defences since an attack by Chinese intelligence agencies in 2011 suggested the latest hackers were highly skilled.
The Australian Signals Directorate, the government's key agency on cybersecurity, moved swifty in recent days to lock down and protect the network, it is understood. The agency's Director-General, Mike Burgess, was in Parliament on Friday morning, as was Alastair MacGibbon, head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre.
The top MPs who oversee Parliament confirmed that security agencies were now investigating the incident and urgent action has been taken to protect the network, including the changing of all passwords.
SOURCE