Plans for Australia spy HQ hacked by China: Report

The Australian government is under pressure to reveal whether Chinese hackers stole the blueprints of a new spy agency headquarters under construction in Canberra, the nation's capital.

The Australian government is under pressure to reveal whether Chinese hackers stole the blueprints of a new spy agency headquarters under construction in Canberra, the nation's capital.

HT Image

Australian Broadcasting Corp. television reported on Monday night that the plans of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization building had been stolen through a cyberattack on a building contractor.

Des Ball, an Australian National University cybersecurity expert, says the Chinese could use the blueprints to bug the building.

Attorney General Mark Dreyfus, the minister in charge of the spy agency, on Tuesday refused to confirm or deny the report, citing a longstanding government policy of declining to comment on security matters. The Greens party have called for an inquiry into the claim.