Foreign spies likely to target Australian submarine program, spy agency says

Defence Minister of Australia Richard Marles speaking during a joint press conference on the tri-lateral AUKUS partnership at Rolls Royce's nuclear reactor manufacturing site in Derby, England, on Nov 3, 2023. — AP

CANBERRA (AP): Australia’s cooperation with the United States and Britain to develop an Australian fleet of submarines powered by US nuclear technology is a likely target of state-sponsored cyberespionage, the nation’s digital spy agency said on Wednesday (Nov 15).

The Australian Signals Directorate reported a 23% increase in cybercrimes in the country and a 14% increase in the average cost of each crime in its latest annual online threat assessment for the fiscal year that ended on Jun 30.