According to Reuters, cyber intelligence agencies of Australia, the United States, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, South Korea and Japan issued a joint notice on Tuesday (July 9), directly pointing out that a hacker group supported by the Chinese government used Australian networks to carry out malicious operations.
The joint notice, led by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), said that the hackers named APT40 serve China's Ministry of State Security and that the organization is located in Haikou City, Hainan Province, China, and is led by the Hainan Provincial State Security Department and Public Security Department.
The notice emphasized: "This hacker, backed by the Chinese government, has previously launched attacks on organizations in multiple countries, including Australia and the United States. ... The organization's machine-like technology still poses a threat to our country's network."
The notice also provided two cases, including that APT40 continued to attack the network of an Australian institution in April 2022 and stole passwords and usernames.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles responded to the joint notice: "(The Australian government) is committed to protecting Australian organizations and individuals in the cyber field, which is why we are leading an investigation into this type of cyber (malicious behavior) for the first time."
The Chinese Embassy in Australia has not yet responded to Reuters' request for comment.
Although China has consistently denied conducting malicious cyber activities against foreign countries, in March this year, US and British officials accused Beijing of launching a large-scale cyber espionage campaign that attacked millions of people, including lawmakers, academics, journalists and companies including defense contractors. But China responded at the time that the US and British accusations were "political means."
The release of the joint bulletin comes as China and Australia are easing tensions, which hit a low point in 2020 after Canberra called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus. Although Beijing retaliated by imposing tariffs on several Australian goods, most of them have been lifted.