9 Network Australia disrupted by cyberattack

Nine Network Australia has fallen victim to the largest media company cyberattack in the nation’s history.

This complex and targeted attack put an abrupt halt on all television and news production for 24 hours. Nine Network has requested the assistance of the Australian Signals Directorate to investigate the details of the incident and any possible connections to nation-state threat actors.

While Nine Network was scrambling to resolve its static signals, the Australian Parliament suffered its own technical disruptions suspected to be caused by a cyberattack. Over the weekend, multiple Australian MPs and senators suddenly lost all email access.

This isn’t the first time the Australian parliament has been targeted. In May 2020, all levels of the Australian government were attacked by cybercriminals recently discovered to be Chinese nation-state hackers.

At this point, there are no conclusive connections between the Nine Network attack and the Australian Parliament attack. If a connection is discovered, it could be evidence of nation-state hackers testing the cyber defenses of government bodies and national broadcast channels.