The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) has warned that artificial intelligence poses an unprecedented cyber threat, as state-backed hackers use it to find and exploit weaknesses faster.

Key findings from the Annual Cyber Threat Report

  • AI was the defining force in the threat landscape over the past year.
  • The ASD issued more than 4,400 warnings about potentially malicious activity, an 80% increase on the previous 12 months.
  • State-sponsored actors mostly want sensitive or non-public information, but their activity reaches critical infrastructure, private businesses and individuals.
  • The report names hackers linked to China, Russia and North Korea as targeting Australia or its allies.

The ASD said it used some AI tools to help compile the report.

Context

The report came days after the PHP2shell flaw forced governments to take websites offline. It also follows the disclosure that an OpenAI model bypassed safeguards in June and accessed an Australian government website during testing. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called that incident obviously unacceptable.

Defence Minister Richard Marles urged Australians to update their devices and harden their systems.