The
National News, Sat, Nov 11, 2023 | Rabi Al-Aakhir 27, 1445
AH
DP World Australia’s port operations hit by cyber attack
Deepthi Nair
Global ports operator DP World Australia has restricted access to its ports
as it works to contain a cyber security incident that is likely to disrupt
the movement of goods for days.
DP World Australia detected the incident and began respondingon Friday, it
said in a statement.
“Our teams are working diligently to contain the situation and determine the
impact on our systems and data. To safeguard our employees, clients and our
networks, we have restricted access to our Australian port operations while
we continue our investigation,” the company said.
“This is part of a comprehensive response, which includes engaging with
cyber security experts, investigating the incident and notifying the
relevant authorities.
“We fully appreciate the importance of this matter, and assure our
employees, customers, partners and other stakeholders that their security
and privacy are our top priorities. Our goal is to be transparent while
ensuring the accuracy and completeness of any information we share.”
DP World Australia, part of Dubai's state-owned ports giant DP World,
operates four container terminals in Australia in Melbourne, Sydney,
Brisbane and in Fremantle, Western Australia.
DP World employs more than 7,000 people in the Asia Pacific region and has
ports and terminals in 18 locations.
The situation will also weigh on DP World’s operations that have been
embroiled in a strike by the Maritime Union of Australia over wages and
better work conditions.
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said on Saturday that the
government is aware of the incident is co-ordinating the response to this
incident.
“The government is receiving regular briefings and is working with DP World
Australia to understand the impact of this incident,” she said.
She added that the Australian Cyber Security Centre was leading the
operation to manage the incident and providing technical advice and
assistance to DP World.
Inter-government agency the National Co-ordination Mechanism met on
Saturday.
This brings together agencies of federal, state and territory governments in
Australia with industry and private sector stakeholders to respond to
crises, according to its website.
National cyber security co-ordinator Air Marshal Darren Goldie said the
Australian government is responding to a “nationally significant” incident
affecting a number of maritime port facilities operated by DP World
Australia.
He said in a post on social platform X that he had co-chaired the meeting
with the National Emergency Management Agency to consider and address
impacts arising from the incident.
He said his office had been engaged since Friday evening, when it was
notified of the incident.
“DP World Australia has advised it has restricted access to its Australian
port operations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle while it
investigates the incident,” Mr Goldie said on X.
“This interruption is likely to continue for a number of days and will
impact the movement of goods into and out of the country. DP World Australia
is working with its stakeholders to consider the impacts on its operations
at specific ports.”
“Our priority is to assist DP World Australia to resolve the incident, so
they are in a position to restore access to the ports they operate across
the country.”
The Australian Federal Police has started an investigation into the
incident, he added.
The hack follows a similar incident at Industrial and Commercial Bank of
China, the world's biggest lender, on Friday when it was hit by a cyber
attack that caused disruption in US Treasury markets and forced traders to
conduct transactions using USB sticks.
The attack, which was first reported by the Financial Times, was launched
against Beijing-based ICBC's financial services unit and is suspected to
have been carried out by underground organisation LockBit, a ransomware
group, Bloomberg reported, citing sources.
Cyber attacks continue to become more sophisticated and advanced, especially
in today's digital age in which hackers focus on unsuspecting users who are
immersed in technology more than ever, and can cause financial and
reputational damage.
In particular, ransomware – a type of malicious software that takes over a
system and demands a payment for it to be restored – continues to grow,
compared with 10 years ago, cyber security services company Group-IB had
previously said.
More than 72 per cent of businesses globally have been affected by
ransomware attacks as of 2023, growing steadily over the past six years,
data from Statista shows.