cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/11439661
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The nation’s top spy chief agrees that foreign powers are active at a broader level across Australia’s online space.
ASIO chief Mike Burgess identified China as the nation’s top hacking threat, with its understanding of the domestic telecommunications network now so sophisticated, it could “turn them off, should they need to”.
“They are working actively to understand our systems,” ASIO chief Mike Burgess told the Mitchell Unlimited podcast.
“I believe in some cases they could do it today,” he said.
Mr Burgess urged calm among Australians, as it was unlikely our communications systems would be turned off unless we were at war.
But he warned people should not have highly sensitive conversations in their cars or near their phones, given foreign governments’ ability to listen in.
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How do technological backdoors have nothing to do with hacking? The Australian state is also trying to force its children (and thus adults) to hand over ID to access social media. That’s just more data for hackers to retrieve and use for nefarious goals. Especially if it’s biometric.
How is increased surveillance not an issue? A car that surveils you is definitely a hacking target and the more the state legislates that there should be more surveillance, the more things there will be to hack.
How does tech sovereignty not prevent hacks? Opensource stuff has more eyes on it and the more states use it, the more paid people will develop it and check it.
And you’re talking about cars: imported stuff from China means it can come “pre-hacked”. Local production will mean less chance of backdoors by foreign actors.
I think it has very much everything to do with the article’s topic.
I hope we in the Western democracies will re-industrialize quick and everything that possible on our own again, and I am a big fan of open source.
But even then, I don’t think that China will stop being a rogue state. The Chinese government will remain the biggest threat actor.