Channel Nine cyber-attack disrupts live broadcasts in Australia

hawki · Mar 28, 2021

"A cyber-attack has disrupted live broadcasts on Australia's Channel Nine TV network, prompting concerns about the country's vulnerability to hackers.

The broadcaster said it was unable to air several shows on Sunday, including Weekend Today...

Nine said it was investigating whether the hack was 'criminal sabotage or the work of a foreign nation'.

Australia's Parliament was also investigating a possible cyber-attack in Canberra on Sunday..."

[The Nine Network (commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network...As of 2020, the Nine Network is the highest-rating television network in Australia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Network]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-56554641

EASTER · Mar 28, 2021

Always knew there would be terrible tv troubles when old transmitters were replaced by digitalized signaling and canning tube receiver sets.

It's wide open anymore the many common and not-so methods of which even some accidental overload switching or the more dastardly interrupters can fudge up digital networks of all sorts. Not limited to just public service/pay-for digital television.

Guess it's why im still old fashion and a fierce throwback from those gritty days of more simplified transmission services. Hello floor AM radio and shortwave.

Of course with deep dive electronics of today they would easily found some way to burn out a tube remotely too.

Krusty · Mar 28, 2021

Channel Nine confirms live broadcasts disrupted by cyber attack

Key points:

The Weekend Today show and 5pm news program did not go to air

Nine confirmed it had been the target of a cyber attack

Staff were asked to work from home until further notice

Click to expand...

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-28/channel-9-off-air-due-to-technical-issues/100034364

Authorities investigate cause of crippling Federal Parliament IT disruption

Key points:

An IT disruption left workers at federal parliament without email this weekend

The government has so far stopped short of publicly describing the incident as an “attack”

Sources inside government have told the ABC the attack on an external provider was not sophisticated

Click to expand...

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-28/parliament-hack-attempt-investigated/100034590

hawki · Mar 28, 2021

"'State actor' behind Nine Network cyber attack, tech expert says...

Fergus Hanson, of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told Today that the fact ransomware was used but no ransom demanded pointed to a government behind the incident..."

https://www.9news.com.au/national/n...te-actor/776687f8-7ca6-42e1-af2e-3211247553d0

Krusty · Mar 29, 2021

How did the cyber attack on Nine and Parliament House happen?

Both federal Parliament and Channel Nine faced major IT disruptions on Sunday, something one expert said could be a coincidence, but could also be linked to previous malicious attacks like those on Microsoft Exchange servers.

The system disruptions left parliamentary staff without mobile access to their emails over the weekend, while the "cyber attack" on Channel Nine prevented the broadcaster from airing several programs, including Weekend Today.
Click to expand...

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03...on-nine-and-parliament-house-happen/100035414

So how are such attacks possible?
Edith Cowan University Security Research Institute director Craig Valli said attacks or disruptions could happen when systems were not "patched" or protected against specific malicious codes.

He said when systems were not protected against a "known" attack code, they could be compromised.

If it was an unknown attack and an unknown exploit tool, it was considered more sophisticated, because it would have taken more advanced planning.

"If it's unknown, it tends to be either … [a] new code that spins off the back of something like this Microsoft Exchange [attack], or sophisticated actors who are being paid go after the information itself," he said.

Professor Valli said there could be motivation for a sophisticated attack on Channel Nine, "given that Channel Nine may be working on stories where they're holding confidential information, as journalists do, that may be of interest to criminal gangs to find leaks".

Professor Valli said if the attack on either federal Parliament or Channel Nine was "known" and it was similar to the recent Microsoft Exchange attacks, they could have been prevented by patches, something he likened to vaccines.

"The longer you leave it unpatched, the probability that someone's going to attack you will increase," he said.

Rachael Falk, chief executive of Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre, said she could not yet say if the attack was because the target systems were vulnerable or if the attack was simply too sophisticated.

"It's a timely reminder for everyone, from the chair and the board and the CEO [of Channel Nine] down, that you cannot be complacent about cyber attacks," she said.

"If it can happen to Channel Nine, it can happen anywhere, because we all run on connected systems."
Click to expand...

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