Australia Suspends Operations After Cybersecurity Incident

The Australian government announced today, Saturday, that it is working to coordinate the response to a cybersecurity incident that forced Dubai Ports World Australia, the port operator, to suspend operations in several states. A spokesperson for Dubai Ports World Australia told Reuters on Saturday that operations at the affected ports have not yet resumed. The statement clarified that the company "is working around the clock to resume operations normally and safely" after the breach was discovered late yesterday, Friday. Interior Minister Clare O'Neil stated via X platform on Saturday that the government is coordinating the response. O'Neil added that the Australian national cyber security coordinator, appointed earlier this year in response to several major data breach incidents, is officially responding to the incident. Dubai Ports World Australia, a subsidiary of the Dubai government-owned Dubai Ports World, operates four container terminals in Australia located in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Fremantle in Western Australia. Dubai Ports World states that its subsidiary has over seven thousand employees in the Asia-Pacific region and operates ports and container terminals in 18 locations.