STATEMENTS BY SENATORS

Senator CICCONE (Victoria) (13:32): Acting Deputy President Stewart, it's good to see you in the chair. Congratulations. October is Cyber Security Action Month, and the Australian Signals Directorate have, in recent days, reminded us why it matters.

Australia joined six international partners in warning about Chinese-government-linked hackers targeting organisations worldwide. At the centre of this warning is Integrity Technology Group, a Chinese company with ties to the CCP. It builds hacking tools, provides the computers to run them and helps hackers attack and break into networks.

Imagine an offender that is trying every door on a street, looking for one that is left unlocked. Automated tools do something similar, scanning the internet for weaknesses, such as an old server or software that has not been updated. Once they find a way in, real people take over.

They hide behind networks of hijacked everyday devices, like our home routers, where they steal passwords, copy emails and take sensitive files. Common targets include government agencies, hospitals, universities, airports, energy companies and other organisations in the supply chain. In the US, these tools were recently used to probe a power company.

The FBI has seized websites behind two of these tools. This year's theme is 'Take a second. Stay secure.' Update your software, use strong passwords and replace equipment that no longer gets security updates.

Turn on multifactor authentication and please read the advisory on cyber.gov.au. The government has rightly banned DeepSeek from its own devices for security reasons, and businesses right across the country should do the same, particularly when handling sensitive data that needs the same care taken. It's national security, and it starts with the basics.