Australian spy chief says Chinese hackers probing telecoms, key facilities

Australia’s spy chief said on Wednesday hackers working for China’s government and military had probed the country’s telecoms network and key infrastructure, warning against the risk of economic disruption from sabotage.

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China dismissed the remarks as a “false narrative”, however.

Mike Burgess, the director general of security for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, said espionage was estimated to have cost the country A$12.5 billion ($8.1 billion) last year.

That included the loss of A$2 billion in trade secrets and intellectual property, he told a business conference in Melbourne.