PM Jacinda Ardern seeking advice from GCSB on cyberattacks

The US, UK and Australia are warning of an alleged Russian state-sponsored hacking attack. Picture / File

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is seeking advice from the GCSB on whether New Zealand has been hit by cyberattacks attributed to Russia.

Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne has revealed that up to 400 businesses there may have been targeted by suspected Russian state-sponsored cyberattacks that have affected millions of computers worldwide.

Australia joined the United States and Britain in alleging hackers infected computer routers and firewalls around the world in a cyber-espionage campaign targeting
government agencies, businesses and critical infrastructure operators, the ABC reported.

Speaking to reporters in Berlin following her meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel, Ardern said she was aware of statements from the United States and Britain

"I am awaiting advice from the GCSB on that. But as I say, we have attributed cyberattacks to Russia in the past and it's highly likely that a number of the issues that we've seen in New Zealand could be attributed that way in the future," Ardern said.

A joint alert from the US and Britain said targets numbered in the millions and included "primarily government and private-sector organisations, critical infrastructure providers, and the internet service providers (ISPs) supporting these sectors".

"We have high confidence that Russia has carried out a co-ordinated campaign to compromise ... routers, residential and business - the things you and I have in our home," said White House cybersecurity co-ordinator Rob Joyce.

In February GCSB (Government Communications Security Bureau) director-general Andrew Hampton said international partners attributed the NotPetya cyber-attack to the Russian government.

NotPetya caused widespread damage and disruption to computer systems around the world in June 2017.

"While there were no reports of NotPetya having a direct impact in New Zealand, it caused disruption to some organisations while they updated systems to protect themselves from it," he said.

In the 12 months to June 2017, 122 of the 396 serious incidents recorded by the GCSB's National Cyber Security Centre involved indicators previously been linked to state-sponsored actors, he said.

- With the Washington Post