Australia’s biggest ports operator, which has been the target of a cyber attack, says it should be up and running again within days.
DP World Australia closed its Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle port operations after detecting the breach on Friday, leaving cargo and containers stuck on the docks.
The company disconnected its internet connectivity, which stopped ongoing unauthorised access to its network, however, this also resulted in key systems linked to its port operations not functioning normally.
The federal government is helping co-ordinate the stevedore’s response and the Australian Cyber Security Centre is providing technical advice.
The former head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre, Alastair MacGibbon, who is advising DP World, said the number one priority was to get containers moving again.
‘What we know is there was unauthorised activity in the system,’ the chief strategy officer at CyberCX said.
‘A pretty brave and smart move was taken to pull the plug, so to speak, on the internet,’ he told Nine’s Today show on Monday.
‘What that has done, it’s protected the organisation against potential future harm.
‘But by its nature, it creates a technical problem when you cut off the internet.
‘What we’re dealing with here is the consequence of reducing harm, which might sound crazy to you, but it’s the safest, smartest thing for all.’
Mr MacGibbon said data was taken by ‘someone malicious or unauthorised’, but could not say what the nature of the data was.
He also said DP World had been working closely with the government at the weekend and noted that emergency supplies, such as vital medical supplies and equipment, could be picked up ‘selectively’ from the docks.
‘So they can deal with the most critical matters but …. the vast bulk of cargo, is just stuck at the moment,’ he said.