Login
iscover
Share this article on:
Powered by
MOMENTUM
MEDIA
Powered by MOMENTUMMEDIA
The shadow cyber security minister calls locking down personal devices and shutting down Wi-Fi “a stark reminder of the reality of the cyber threats we’re facing”.
The Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS) circulated an email to the occupants of Parliament House today (24 November), warning them to disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth ahead of a visit by the chairman of the National People’s Congress of China, Zhao Leji.
The email – seen by Guardian Australia – laid out the areas of the building the chairman would be visiting and progressing through, and that there may be disruptions to Wi-Fi access during the visit.
“Within the identified areas, internet-connected devices, including phones, tablets and laptops, should be powered down,” the email said.
“Where devices must be used, please ensure phones and iPads are updated with the latest software version and placed in lockdown mode, and laptops should have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth switched off.”
Occupants of Parliament House were advised to use “alternative routes” to get around the building and to close their office doors in the name of “privacy”.
When contacted by Cyber Daily to explain the need for such caution, DPS did not directly address the question.
“DPS often communicates with building occupants, including parliamentarians and their staff, to provide advice and keep them informed of activities occurring in and around Australian Parliament House,” a DPS spokesperson said.
Claire Chandler, the opposition’s shadow cyber security minister, said that such a warning was “incredibly concerning” and that the DPS was going to “extreme lengths” to “protect our data in Parliament House during this visit from Zhao Leji”.
“ASIO has warned that China state-backed actors are targeting Australia’s critical infrastructure, and Parliament House is the heart of our democracy. We’ve already seen CCP-linked cyber attacks on parliamentarians, including myself,” Chandler told The Guardian.
“It’s fair to expect all parliamentarians to be vigilant about their own cyber security, but the measures in place today go far beyond what’s usually expected for a visiting delegation. It’s a stark reminder of the reality of the cyber threats we’re facing.”
Leji’s itinerary included meeting the president of the Senate and speaker of the House, as well as the Governor-General, Sam Mostyn, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
Be the first to hear the latest developments in the cyber industry.
