Several ports in Australia have been shut down after a cyberattack. The Australian government has convened crisis consultations as supply chains to and from the country may come under pressure.
The affected ports are in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Fremantle. They are managed by logistics group DP World. That company found an “intrusion” in its system on Friday. The internet connection to the ports was then disconnected, business newspaper Australian Financial Review writes, based on a statement from the group.
This put an end to unauthorized access to the port network. But on the other hand, that decision also meant that “key systems supporting operations at Australian ports did not function normally”, according to DP World.
“The government is receiving regular updates and working with DP World Australia to understand the implications of this incident,” Australian Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said in a post on X. On the same platform, the country’s National Cyber Security Coordinator said the disruption is likely to continue for several more days.
DP World’s ports in Australia were already under pressure. For example, talks with the Maritime Union about better wages and working conditions have reached an impasse. Port employees have, therefore stopped working more often in recent times.
