Sydney - On Sunday, Australian government agencies met urgently in response to a severe and ongoing cyber incident causing disruptions at crucial ports across the country.

DP World, the port operator, took action by cutting off internet access at terminals in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Fremantle to prevent unauthorized network access. This move was in response to a significant disruption affecting nearly 40% of the country's goods flow, leading to trucks being unable to move containers in and out of the terminals.

Minister Clare O'Neil emphasized the gravity of the situation, highlighting the operational impact while stating that efforts are underway to restore regular freight movement. DP World's senior director, Blake Tierney, mentioned progress made with cybersecurity experts to reinstate essential systems for normal operations, while also investigating potential data access and theft, with a focus on assessing any impact on personal information.

The Australian Federal Police are actively investigating the incident. National Cyber Security Coordinator Darren Goldie warned of continued disruptions affecting the movement of goods in and out of the country for several days.

The National Coordination Mechanism, led by Goldie and involving government and industry representatives, convened to manage the response to the cyber incident, acknowledging the necessity for a coordinated effort in the face of such threats.

Australia has been a target for cyber attacks due to perceived inadequate security measures and the accumulation of sensitive customer data, as seen in recent major breaches involving Medibank and Optus. The latter also faced a significant network outage impacting customers and essential services. Though not confirmed as a cyber attack, the government is investigating this incident.

With a staggering 76,000 cybercrimes reported to the Australian Cyber Security Centre last year, experts caution that many more incidents likely go unreported.