Australian ports in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle closed after DP World reported a ‘cyber security incident’
Major seaports around Australia have been closed by operator DP World after what is being called a ‘cyber security incident’.
The container terminal operator made the decision late on Friday evening, while access to the ports of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle was severely restricted on Saturday.
“Our teams are working hard to contain the situation and assess the impact on our systems and data,” DP World Australia said in a statement to the Australian Financial Review.
Operator DP World decided to close its ports in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle
“To protect our employees, customers and our networks, we have restricted landside access to our Australian port operations while we continue our investigation.
“This is part of a comprehensive response, including working with cybersecurity experts, actively investigating the incident and notifying relevant authorities.”
The hack follows another cybersecurity incident at Melbourne cryptocurrency exchange Coinspot on Thursday, in which more than $2 million was withdrawn from accounts.
Another data breach in September exposed the information of nearly 200,000 Pizza Hut customers.
Bookstore chain Dymocks also announced a data breach in September, in which customer data ‘may have been compromised’.
DP World limited access to ports “to protect our employees, customers and our networks,” the company said
DP World is a Dubai-based logistics company that operates freight and port terminal services both in Australia and internationally.
The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) recently voted on industrial action and extended its 24-hour strike notice until November 20.
There is no evidence that the cyber security incident and the industrial action are linked.