ASIO busy fending hostile cyber probes

as posted here

Article from: The Australian

A SHARP increase in cyber attacks including internet probes by "hostile foreign intelligence services" marked the busiest year since 2005 for the country's peak security service, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.

ASIO's annual report to federal parliament released yesterday, cited "new layers of complexity" to the standard fare of terrorism threats, espionage and foreign interference.

The most serious national security challenge in 2008-09 was the thwarting by ASIO of an alleged plan by Melbourne-based Islamic extremists for an armed suicide assault on an Australian Defence Force facility, the report said.

"Small numbers of Australians continue to look to conflict theatres overseas for inspiration and some aspire to participate in the violence or seek to learn from the tactics and techniques employed by extremists there," it warned.

"The number of known Islamic extremists - those willing to use violence in pursuit of political objectives - in Australia is very small but significant, and did not change substantially in 2008-09," the report added.

ASIO found further evidence of unamed hostile foreign intelligence services using the internet in a bid to access confidential Australian government information systems including business information systems.

The year saw traditional espionage methods supplemented by new high-technology techniques.

"The extent of internet-enabled espionage as a rapidly growing threat to the national interest became more apparent," it noted.

Adverse security assessments were issued against two unamed individuals seeking entry to Australia in 2008-09.

The visa applicants were assessed to pose a security threat due to links to a terrorist group or a foreign government, said the report.

A total of 59,884 visa security assessments including 1466 assessments for protection visa applicants were completed by ASIO over the same period.

as posted here