The Australian Signals Directorate has uncovered a China-backed hacking group that stole hundreds of usernames and passport words from an Australian entity in April 2022.
The Australian government has blamed the attack on APT40, a Chinese state-sponsored group.
The investigation was led by Australia, and was conducted in collaboration with the Five Eyes partners - New Zealand, Canada, the US and UK - along with Germany, Japan and Korea.
It's the first time Australia has taken the lead on a cyber advisory and the first time Japan and Korea have joined the nation in attribution.
Home Affairs Minister Claire O'Neil said cyber attacks were one of the "most significant" threats facing Australia.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said naming the source of the attacks would dissuade future breaches.
"In our current strategic circumstances, these attributions are increasingly important tools in deterring malicious cyber activity," he said.
Ina detailed report on the bread, the Australian Cyber Security Centre outlines that the hack exploited public vulnerabilities in widely used software, including Microsoft Exchange.
The release of the information comes the day after a sweeping directive was issued by Home Affairs, which required all Australian Government entities to audit their internet-facing systems to identify risks and cyber threats.
With AAP
More to come
