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Authorities said on Monday that hackers targeted a communications network used by Australian military personnel and defence personnel with a ransomware attack as the country confronts a recent surge in cyberattacks against businesses.
The ForceNet service, one of the external suppliers contracted by the military department to manage one of its websites, has been attacked. Still, no data has been compromised thus far, according to Assistant Minister for Defense Matt Thistlethwaite.
“I want to stress that this isn’t an attack or a breach on defence (technology) systems and entities,” Thistlethwaite said on ABC Radio.
“At this stage, there is no evidence that the data set has been breached; that’s the data that this company holds on behalf of the defence.”
However, certain sensitive information, such as military personnel’s dates of birth and enrollment details, may have been stolen, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, citing an unidentified source with knowledge of the probe.
Thistlethwaite stated that the government will take the matter “extremely seriously” and that all defence personnel have been alerted and advised to change their passwords.
In an emailed response, a defence department spokeswoman informed Reuters that the department was investigating the contents of the damaged data set and what personal information it contained.
Ransomware encrypts victims’ data, and hackers generally offer the victim a key in exchange for cryptocurrency payments that can amount to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars.
Some of Australia’s largest corporations, including Optus, which Singapore Telecommunications Ltd owns, and Medibank Private Ltd, the country’s most comprehensive health insurance, have recently had data breaches, potentially exposing the personal information of millions of consumers.
According to technology experts, the country has become a target for cyber attacks at a time when a skills crisis has left understaffed, overworked cybersecurity personnel ill-equipped to counter them.
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