In this illustration from March 8, 2022, a broken Ethernet cable is seen in front of binary code and the words “Cyber Security.” Portal/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire License Rights
SYDNEY, Nov 12 (Portal) – The Australian government on Sunday described as “serious and ongoing” a cybersecurity incident that forced port operator DP World Australia to suspend operations at ports in several states since Friday.
DP World Australia, which manages almost half of goods flowing in and out of the country, said it was assessing possible data breaches and testing systems that were “critical to resuming normal operations and regular freight traffic.”
The breach halted operations at container terminals in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle, Western Australia, since Friday.
“The cyber incident at DP World is serious and ongoing,” Home Secretary Clare O’Neil said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
A spokesman for DP World did not immediately respond to a Portal request for comment on when normal operations would resume. The company, part of the state-owned DP World in Dubai, is one of the few players in the stevedore industry in the country.
The Australian Federal Police said it was investigating the incident but would not elaborate.
Late Saturday, National Cybersecurity Coordinator Darren Goldie, appointed in response to several serious data breaches this year, said the “disruption” was “likely to last for several days and impact the movement of goods in and out of the country.” Country”.
In the Asia-Pacific region, DP World says it employs more than 7,000 people and has ports and terminals at 18 locations.
Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Edited by David Gregorio, Robert Birsel and Miral Fahmy
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