How a single cyberattack may SHUT DOWN Australia - as experts warn our infrastructure is 'uniquely vulnerable' to digital war

How a single cyberattack could SHUT DOWN Australia - as experts warn our infrastructure is 'uniquely prone' to electronic war

overseas cyber security professional Rob Lee has warned Australia is susceptible

Dragos founder and CEO says our defences are vulnerable and may take years to build

He fears a state-backed assault might trigger untold damage to the nation

Others warn a huge scale attack might have 'catastrophic penalties' 

by way of Kevin Airs For daily Mail Australia

published: 08:09, 14 December 2021 | up-to-date: 09:01, 14 December 2021

Australia is more and more susceptible to a crippling cyber attack so that you can grind the nation to a halt in a single day, a world knowledgeable has warned.

Rob Lee, founder and CEO of safety expert company Dragos, has warned Australia's essential infrastructure has been left behind within the race to offer protection to in opposition t cyber terrorists.

The nation's oil and gas fields and mining sector can be leading pursuits for a cyber attack - and the nation needs to shore up its defences now, he says.

'in comparison to different regions on the planet, Australia is behind,' Mr Lee mentioned. 

he's been backed through former top Minister Malcolm Turnbull who has reportedly invested large cash into Mr Lee's cybersecurity firm in a $200million funding circular.

Mr Lee, whose enterprise's motto is 'safeguarding civilisation', says Australia should do extra itself - and quickly - before it attracts a state-sponsored assault. 

Australia may be brought to its knees in a crippling cyber attack in order to grind the country to a halt in a single day as world skilled Rob Lee (pictured) reveals the nation's defences are weak

Rob Lee been backed by way of former top Minister Malcolm Turnbull (pictured here with his spouse. Lucy)  who has reportedly invested massive cash into Mr Lee's cybersecurity enterprise Dragos in a contemporary $200million funding round

China and Russia-based hackers are said to have Australia in their points of interest as more and more corporations face ransomware attacks like Channel nine confronted in March. 

The broadcaster became locked out of its own e mail gadget and media facilities for days after hackers attacked the enterprise and demanded money to unlock their grip on its community.

however Mr Lee warns even bigger businesses may come under assault and are particularly inclined as they are trying to upgrade their methods.

'What we're seeing is a transformational period at the moment in Australia,' he advised The Australian. 

The nation's oil and gasoline fields and mining sector would be top targets for a cyber assault - and the country should shore up its defences now, Rob Lee says

'With geopolitical adversaries, altering electric infrastructure and mining infrastructure, there's a whole lot going on and that opens you up to espionage and intrusions.

'i would say that Australia is taking it seriously, but overall is behind when it comes to protection efforts, and doing what’s essential.'

He mentioned some mining corporations were aware of the chance and had bolstered security on their computing device networks.

but he spoke of Australia's growing funding in renewable energy had brought in new agencies whose protection become less amazing. 

some of Australia's mining businesses have embraced the challenge and instigated next era safety on their networks

'It opens up a lot of connectivity and as a result access for adversaries, and that complexity makes it extra tricky to guard,' pointed out Mr Lee, who reviewed Ukraine's cyber safety after an assault on their power grid in 2015.

He warned hackers would be privy to the talents cyber backdoors being left open and could swoop in at any time.

Mr Lee wired the need to birth upgrading automatically, as ramping up cyber security across networks and communications hardware became now not only a remember of downloading a patch, but may take three and five years to totally transition to a less attackable system.

Mr Lee warned that states like China and Russia can be aware of the potential cyber backdoors being left open and spoke of they could swoop in at any time

Former Australian countrywide Cyber safety Adviser Alastair MacGibbon recently warned it become handiest a rely of time for the country's cyber security could be breached on a large scale.

'individuals will die. Economies will tip. it is going to have catastrophic consequences for us,' he told 9's 60 Minutes reveal in June.

Assistant Defence Minister Andrew Hastie added: 'critical infrastructure is extremely vulnerable. You do not deserve to bomb a metropolis or hearth a single bullet to bring it to its knees.

'i am worried a few cyber Pearl Harbour. we've got at all times idea about struggle in terms of land, sea or air. 

'however the truth is that we're all on the new battlefield, which is cyber.'