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Port operator DP World says it has begun resuming operations at its ports across Australia, following a cyberattack that brought its freight shipments to a halt and stoked concerns about widespread shortages ahead of Christmas.<\/p>\n
DP World, which manages 40 per cent of Australia\u2019s container shipments through terminals in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle, said that it expects about 4,000 containers will move out of the four terminals on Monday following successful tests of key systems overnight.<\/p>\n
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DP World was forced to shut down its landside operations across the country over the weekend.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Fairfax Media<\/cite><\/p>\n The attack had stranded an estimated 30,000 shipping containers across DP World\u2019s yards nationally.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ongoing investigation and response to protect networks and systems may cause some necessary, temporary disruptions to their services in the coming days,\u201d a DP World spokesman said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a part of an investigation process and resuming normal logistical operations at this scale.\u201d<\/p>\n Experts predicted the fall-out could last weeks and ripple through the broader economy, an outcome that now appears unlikely, while supermarket giants Woolworths and Coles both expect to remain unaffected by the disruptions.<\/p>\n The owner of liquor giant Dan Murphy\u2019s, Endeavour Group, said on Monday it did not expect to be affected by the shutdown on the ports, as its stock for Christmas had already arrived in the country.<\/p>\n The spokesman said DP World would continue to work closely with the government including Cyber Security Minister Clare O\u2019Neil and Minister for Infrastructure Catherine King, as well as the Australian Federal Police and the National Cyber Security Coordinator.<\/p>\n \u201cImportantly, the resumption of port operations does not mean that this incident has concluded,\u201d the spokesman said.<\/p>\n \u201cDP World Australia\u2019s investigation and ongoing remediation work are likely to continue for some time.\u201d<\/p>\n Shipping containers are typically used to carry household goods, furniture, electronics and toys that are then trucked to distribution centres and onto retailers.<\/p>\n \u2018It would be a mistake for businesses to continue to think of these events as black swans. They are not.\u2019<\/p>\n The attack caps a torrid week for Australian criticial infrastructure, after Optus\u2019 telecommunications network suffered an extended outage on Wednesday affecting some 10 million customers.<\/p>\n Thomas Dukes, the former Deputy Coordinator for Cyber Issues for the Obama administration, said in an interview that cyberattacks against critical infrastructure like ports are becoming increasingly common.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be a mistake for businesses to continue to think of these events as black swans. They are not,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Head of Australian Cyber Security Centre, Alastair MacGibbon, speaks to the media at Parliament House in Canberra. Photo: Dominic Lorrimer<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Dominic Lorrimer<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that both a shipping port operator and Optus have been impacted just underscores how reliant we are on critical infrastructure. In the US, both ports and telecommunications fall under the definition of critical infrastructure when it comes to cybersecurity. I\u2019m heartened to see in Australia that telecommunications will be treated the same way as ports, energy, hospitals and utility assets with annual sign-offs for cyber risk management programs.<\/p>\n \u201cBoards critically need sophisticated legal, compliance and risk advisors to help directors and management prepare for these types of events, appropriately manage the risks and navigate the inevitable incidents.\u201d<\/p>\n A source close to DP World told this masthead the incident was not a ransomware attack, and that the company had disconnected its systems from the internet to stop the attack in its tracks.<\/p>\n The former head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre, Alastair MacGibbon, who is advising DP World, said the top priority was to get the company\u2019s shipping containers moving again.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we know is there was unauthorised activity in the system,\u201d the chief strategy officer at CyberCX told Nine\u2019s Today show on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cA pretty brave and smart move was taken to pull the plug, so to speak, on the internet. What that has done, it\u2019s protected the organisation against potential future harm.\u201d<\/p>\n On Sunday, Home Affairs and Cybersecurity Minister Clare O\u2019Neil described the hack as serious and ongoing.<\/p>\n \u201cThis incident is a reminder of the serious risk that cyberattacks pose to our country, and to vital infrastructure we all rely on,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n