Australia And New Zealand Accuse China Of Covert Cyberattack Campaigns Against Democratic Nations

What Happened: New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters on Tuesday condemned the “malicious cyber activity” that targeted the country’s parliament in 2021. The attacks have been attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese government, reported CNBC.

“Foreign interference of this nature is unacceptable, and we have urged China to refrain from such activity in future,” Peters said.

These allegations were made a day after the U.S. and U.K. accused China-linked hackers of a cyber espionage campaign that targeted British voter data and millions of individuals, including lawmakers, academics, journalists, and defense contractors.

New Zealand’s Minister for Communications Security Bureau, Judith Collins, also condemned using cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes.

Meanwhile, Australia has joined in condemning China’s alleged cyberattacks targeting U.K. democratic institutions and parliamentarians. Although Australia’s electoral systems were not compromised by the cyber campaigns that targeted the U.K., the country’s foreign affairs minister expressed concerns over the persistent targeting of democratic institutions and processes.

According to the report, the Chinese embassy in New Zealand did not immediately respond to the allegations.

Why It Matters: The accusations made by Australia and New Zealand are part of a larger global concern regarding China’s alleged state-sponsored cyber activities. The U.S. has been particularly vocal about this issue, with the FBI Director Christopher Wray warning that China’s covert placement of offensive malware in U.S. critical infrastructure networks is at a scale greater than ever before.

These concerns have been further amplified by the potential rise of cyber-physical attacks driven by artificial intelligence. The FBI has cautioned that Chinese hackers are infiltrating U.S. cyber infrastructure, targeting critical systems such as water treatment plants and transportation, which could lead to serious consequences.

Amid these growing threats, AI-powered cybersecurity network companies are among the biggest gainers on the S&P 500 this year. As the world grapples with the increasing sophistication of cyber threats, the role of AI in cybersecurity is likely to become even more crucial.