Christmas delivers could face significant delays after a major port operator was forced to shut down over the weekend following a “cybersecurity incident”.
Sea ports across the country by operator DP World, which is responsible for 40 per cent of Australia’s maritime freight, were heavily restricted on Saturday, expecting to cause heavy delays on imports and exports.
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The ports are expected to close for several days as the Australian Federal Police continues to investigate the incident – which has no known cause at this stage.
“The company, in collaboration with cybersecurity experts, has worked tirelessly, making significant progress in re-establishing landside freight operations at its ports,” DP World said in a statement.
“A key line of inquiry in this ongoing investigation is the nature of data access and data theft. DP World Australia appreciates this development may cause concern for some stakeholders.
“DP World Australia is working hard to assess whether any personal information has been impacted and has taken proactive steps to engage the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.”
Home Affairs minister Clare O’Neil described the incident as “serious and ongoing in a statement posted to X.
“This incident is a reminder of the serious risk that cyber attacks pose to our country, and to vital infrastructure we all rely on,” she said.
“This group is working to ensure our ports and transport networks keep working while DP World resolves the incident.”
Cybersecurity continues to be a ongoing concern for Australia, with the federal government last month releasing its first review into security risks faced by the country’s critical infrastructure.
Businesses across the country have been compromised by cyberattacks in the last couple of years, including Melbourne cryptocurrency exchange Coinspot just on Thursday where more than $2 million was taken from accounts.
Dymocks, Sony, Pizza Hut and myGov were just some of the businesses breached in 2023.
Meanwhile, Optus and Medibank were the targets of significant attacks in 2022.
A full list of businesses who have experienced data breaches can be wound on the Webber Insurance Services website.