CITIZENS NEWS

Australian spy chief warns Chinese hackers are pre-positioning for sabotage

By isabelle // 2025-11-12

• Australia's intelligence chief warns Chinese state hackers are preparing for sabotage.
• Targets include critical water, energy, and telecommunications infrastructure.
• Hacking groups are pre-positioning in networks to disrupt services at will.
• The intent has escalated from espionage to potential destruction and chaos.
• The private sector is on the front line of this national security threat.

We live in a world where the lights, the water, and the very communications that bind our society together are now targets in a silent, digital war. Australia’s top intelligence chief has issued a sobering warning that Chinese state-backed hackers are actively probing the nation’s most critical systems, with their intent shifting decisively from spying to preparing for acts of devastating sabotage. In a solemn address to business leaders, Mike Burgess, the Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), laid bare a campaign of cyber aggression that threatens the foundational pillars of modern life. The threat actors, identified as hacking groups Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon, are not rogue criminals but “hackers working for Chinese government intelligence and their military,” Burgess stated. Their operations are part of a coordinated effort by “one nation state—no prizes for guessing which one—[that] has made multiple attempts to scan and penetrate critical infrastructure in Australia and other Five Eyes countries.” The targets are essential services: water, transport, energy, and telecommunications networks. Burgess revealed the alarming sophistication of these incursions. “When they penetrate your networks, they aggressively map your systems,” he explained, describing a strategy of maintaining long-term, hidden access. This is not merely about stealing secrets; it is about “pre-positioning for chaos.” The goal is to have the capability to disrupt and destroy critical infrastructure at a moment of their choosing, turning our technological dependence into a profound vulnerability. The shift in intent from espionage to sabotage marks a dangerous escalation. Burgess warned that authoritarian regimes are now more willing to “disrupt and destroy” to achieve their strategic goals. He outlined chilling scenarios where a foreign state could cripple a competing Australian company, sow panic during an election, or deter Australia from supporting an ally in a conflict. “Once access is gained, what happens next is a matter of intent, not capability,” he cautioned. The economic stakes are staggering. Burgess reported that espionage and foreign interference cost the Australian economy a massive $12.5 billion in the 2023–24 period. However, the potential cost of a single act of cyber-enabled sabotage is even more shocking, with conservative estimates placing it at $1.1 billion per incident. A week-long disruption could inflict $6 billion in damage, figures Burgess described as “extremely conservative.”

The private sector must be on alert

In the face of this threat, Burgess delivered a powerful message to the private sector, declaring, “Your business may not be national security, but national security is your business.” He implored corporate leaders to recognize their frontline role in the nation’s defense, moving beyond complacency and empty rhetoric. “You can’t PowerPoint your way out of this risk,” he stated, urging them to take all reasonable steps to secure their digital infrastructure. The warnings are grounded in real-world incidents. Burgess noted that Volt Typhoon had already compromised U.S. critical infrastructure, including military-linked systems in Guam, giving China the capability “to turn off telecommunications and other critical infrastructure.” He confirmed that similar probing has been detected in Australia. “I assure you: these are not hypotheticals—foreign governments have elite teams investigating these possibilities right now,” he said. Beijing has predictably dismissed these allegations as a “false narrative.” Yet Burgess revealed that the Chinese Communist Party actively pressures ASIO to tone down its public statements. His response was one of unwavering resolve: “If they were smart, they would understand how a Western liberal democracy works. Complaining about ASIO doing its job will not stop my resolve.” This cyber threat exists alongside growing military friction. Recent months have seen a Chinese fighter jet release flares near an Australian patrol aircraft in the South China Sea, a provocative act that underscores the broader pattern of coercion and testing of resolve by the authoritarian regime in Beijing. The digital front lines are no longer confined to government servers; they run through the control systems of our power plants and the networks that deliver our water. The warning from Australia’s intelligence chief is a reminder that liberty requires constant, proactive defense. In an age where chaos can be unleashed with a keystroke, vigilance is the price of preserving a free and functioning society. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com Reuters.com BBC.co.uk

glitch collapse preparedness hackers technology China infrastructure national security surveillance espionage sabotage cyberwar conspiracy Australia chaos dangerous computing