Australian Lawmaker Confirms China Hacked Spy Base

[News_Editor]

Chinese hackers stole the blueprints of Australia’s new spy agency headquarters years ago and the breach has been dealt with since then, a lawmaker said on May 29, 2013. (Photo: Reuters / Pawel Kopczynski)

CANBERRA, Australia — Chinese hackers stole the blueprints of Australia’s new spy agency headquarters years ago and the breach has been dealt with since then, an opposition lawmaker said Wednesday in the first confirmation of media reports.

“These events did take place some time ago,†senior opposition lawmaker George Brandis told Sky News television after a confidential briefing with Australian Security Intelligence Organization officials.

“I can say this is a very serious matter; ASIO has dealt with it; beyond that I’m not sure that there’s a lot I can say,†he added.

The 630 million Australian dollar (US$608 million) building housing the headquarters of Australia’s main spy agency is near completion in the national capital.

Australian Broadcasting Corp. television had reported on Monday night that a cyberattack on a building contractor exposed plans such as communications cabling, server locations and security systems and was traced to a Chinese server.

The government has refused to discuss specifics on the matter. When Prime Minister Julia Gillard told Parliament the ABC report was “inaccurate†on Tuesday, she refused to go into any detail.

Brandis later demanded and got a confidential briefing with ASIO Director-General David Irvine. And while he wouldn’t discuss what was said, he disputed Gillard’s statement.

“She said the allegations are false; that claim is wrong,†Brandis said.

The government responded by criticizing Brandis for discussing in the media a confidential security briefing.

The ABC reported that China could use the blueprints to bug the building.

Des Ball, an Australian National University cybersecurity expert, told the ABC that given the breach, ASIO would either have to operate with “utmost sensitivity†within its own building or simply “rip the whole insides out and … start again.â€

But The Australian newspaper reported on Wednesday that the plans were stolen at least three years ago and the agency’s operations were no longer at risk.

In an unsourced report, the newspaper said the breach occurred in 2009 or 2010. Although construction began in 2008, the discovery of the breach meant that ASIO had the opportunity to alter the designs of the building to reduce the risk of espionage.

The lakeside glass and concrete structure was to be completed in 2012, but has faced construction delays and cost blowouts since it was initially budgeted to cost AU$460 million (US$440 million).

Attorney General Mark Dreyfus, the minister in charge of the spy agency, said ASIO will move in this year.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China opposed hacking in any form and questioned what evidence the ABC report relied on.

“Since it is technically untraceable, it is very difficult to find the source and identify the hacker,†Hong said. “Therefore we have no idea what is the evidence for their report in which they make the claim with such certainty.â€

He said countries needed to cooperate to fight hacking. “Groundless accusations won’t solve the problem,†Hong said.

ASIO has grown rapidly since the al-Qaida attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, and needs the new headquarters to house its growing staff that has trebled to almost 1,800 in a decade.

AP researcher Zhao Liang contributed to this report from Beijing.

Source: Irrawaddy.org

[Publicus]

Beijing is constantly hacking every Western military and intelligence capability it possibly can, and has been doing so for more than ten years. This fact and reality, coupled with Beijing's territorial aggressions initiated during the past three years, leave the CCP's narrative of a "peaceful rise" in shreds. The "peaceful rise" of the CCP is a lie, always has been a duplicitous lie.

Beijing is gathering as much military offensive and defensive military and intelligence capability as it can against the West, the United States and Australia in particular. Last year Beijing's military hacked into Australia's Federal Reserve system, which is a further aggression as it targets Australia's economy and financial system.

So why is Beijing constantly hacking against Western military and intelligence capabilities? Hitler and Tojo would have done the identical thing during the 1930s had it had the same capability as the CCP-PRC has available to it in the present times.

Australia's central Bank Confirms Chinese hack report http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/03/11/reserve_bank_of_australia_attacked/

U.S., Australia reports allege new spying by China hackers

Blueprints of new Australian spy headquarters stolen, report says http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2013/05/28/australia-china-hacking.html

[Scott]

I would hope that these sites have a healthy dose of misinformation that they are feeding to the Chinese.

[Tywais]

I would hope that these sites have a healthy dose of misinformation that they are feeding to the Chinese.

I'm sure there are a lot tit for tat from others into China also.

[OZEMADE]

This is the sort of cyber crime that is now out of hand. There was mention of the Chinese being so far behind the Americans in Military Power and the only way they could possibly have a chance against the US would be to interfere with their electronics and radar technology. They made mention that they had already blown one of their own failed Satellites out of the sky some years ago. They also mentioned power grids and how the Chinese could shut them down in certain circumstances. Was this a trial run in South Thailand for the Chinese. The only excuse was BANGKOK: -- Energy Minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisal says the power blackout in all 14 southern provinces on May 21 was "unavoidable". He says the cause was a natural occurrence: lightning striking a high-voltage transmission line that supplied power to the South.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....r-undertakings/

Like Thailand gets millions of lightning strikes almost all year round, but they don't cause half of the country to black out.

Edited May 30, 2013 by OZEMADE

[Publicus]

This is the sort of cyber crime that is now out of hand. There was mention of the Chinese being so far behind the Americans in Military Power and the only way they could possibly have a chance against the US would be to interfere with their electronics and radar technology. They made mention that they had already blown one of their own failed Satellites out of the sky some years ago. They also mentioned power grids and how the Chinese could shut them down in certain circumstances. Was this a trial run in South Thailand for the Chinese. The only excuse was BANGKOK: -- Energy Minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisal says the power blackout in all 14 southern provinces on May 21 was "unavoidable". He says the cause was a natural occurrence: lightning striking a high-voltage transmission line that supplied power to the South.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....r-undertakings/

Like Thailand gets millions of lightning strikes almost all year round, but they don't cause half of the country to black out.

Your mention of the CCP-PRC blowing up one of its satellites in space and Beijing's need to neutralize the U.S. electronics and radar technologies made me think of this article by MIT Defense Labs researcher Dr Geoffrey Forden, who in the articles tried to send a message of deterrence to the Boyz in Beijing.

How China Loses the Coming Space War
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/01/inside-the-chin/[/url]

All the evidence unfortunately shows the Boyz in Beijing don't learn. Edited May 30, 2013 by Publicus

[David48]

The story program is available here

The transcript here

The program background here ... this one is quite interesting as it contains a lot of related links to Cyber Spying around the world.

.