Mike Burgess, head of Australia’s Security Intelligence Organisation, has raised the alarm. He’s cautioning that the country is at an increasing risk of acts of sabotage and espionage. In his State of the Union address, he called for them to act now. He encouraged corporate executives to better secure their systems and defend private data from possible foreign threats. Burgess underscored the urgency of the situation. He confessed that the threat of foreign-driven infrastructure disruption is what most “keeps him up at night.”
Burgess pointed out the deeply concerning actions taken by Chinese hacking groups like Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon. In fact, these organizations have violently attacked telecommunications networks here in Australia and in the U.S. He warned that these groups have compromised critical infrastructure to set the stage for future sabotage, particularly concerning networks that support the U.S. military presence in Guam.
The Growing Threat Landscape
Burgess painted a grim picture of Australia’s current security landscape, stating that the nation has entered an era of “strategic surprise and security fragility.” He noted that state actors are actively exploring sabotage options to steal intellectual property, undermine companies for strategic advantage, and even create chaos during elections or significant national decisions.
He described numerous examples in which these types of disruptions could have catastrophic impacts. Burgess posed critical questions regarding the implications if a nation-state were to disable all networks, disrupt power supply during extreme weather, pollute drinking water, or cripple financial systems.
“Imagine the implications if a nation-state took down all the networks? Or turned off the power during a heatwave? Or polluted our drinking water? Or crippled our financial system?” – Mike Burgess
Economic Consequences of Cyber-Enabled Sabotage
The economic repercussions of these future menaces are mind-blowing. Critical infrastructure Burgess referenced research showing that just one case of cyber-enabled sabotage could set the economy back by about $1.1 billion. He continued to explain that a large-scale, economy-wide stoppage or strike lasting more than one week would result in losses of at least $6 billion.
In closing, Burgess lamented to say that Australia has come upon a dangerous crossroads in security threats. He acknowledged that this is not merely hypothetical and stated, “Well, I regret to inform you — we’re there now.” His remarks certainly reflect a robust consensus that the threat landscape has changed dramatically. State actors are behaving today with a more aggressive and reckless impunity.
“The cyber-enabled sabotage of critical infrastructure will cost the economy $1.1 billion per incident.” – Mike Burgess
Urging Action Among Business Leaders
Burgess called on business leaders to act against these incoming threats. He said beyond the need to just comply, cybersecurity leaders need to be proactive in protecting their organizations from vulnerabilities. He urged the nation not to get cocky about progress toward victory Biden’s marquee goal. Sabotage is not a future threat but a present danger that we need to protect against.
He highlighted that ongoing grievances and conspiracy theories are fueling spikes in politically motivated violence, which could potentially escalate into acts of terrorism. Burgess stressed the need for greater awareness and preparedness on the part of both the private sector and government agencies.
“I do not think we — and I mean all of us — truly appreciate how disruptive, how devastating, this could be.” – Mike Burgess
Burgess’s call to action is perhaps one of the most timely reminders as Australia prepares to face significant disruptions in this changing world with increasing threats. These changes are being watched by the intelligence community with bated breath. They understand that this transition to a new reality is essential for our national security and economic prosperity.
