Australia’s Cyber Threat Landscape Intensifies.
The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC) has released its Annual Cyber Threat Report 2024–25, revealing a sharp escalation in cyber incidents, state-sponsored activity, and ransomware attacks targeting Australian individuals, businesses, and critical infrastructure.
A Growing and Sophisticated Threat Landscape
The report, introduced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, The Hon Richard Marles MP, highlights an increasingly volatile global environment, with geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific and ongoing international conflicts driving heightened cyber espionage and disruption efforts.
Australia continues to face sustained targeting from state-sponsored cyber actors, particularly from the People’s Republic of China and Russia, who are attempting to infiltrate telecommunications, logistics, and technology networks. These attacks aim to gather intelligence and position for potential disruption of critical services.
At the same time, cybercriminal activity surged, with ransomware and data breaches becoming more frequent and costly. Criminal groups used stolen data, usernames, and passwords to infiltrate networks, steal personal information, and extort victims.
Alarming Increases in Cybercrime and Costs
In the 2024–25 financial year, ASD’s ACSC:
- Received over 42,500 calls to the Australian Cyber Security Hotline — up 16% from last year.
- Responded to over 1,200 cyber security incidents — an 11% rise.
- Notified entities of potential malicious activity more than 1,700 times — an 83% increase.
- Recorded over 84,700 cybercrime reports — averaging one report every six minutes.
- Reported that average business losses rose by 50% to $80,850 per incident, with large businesses seeing a staggering 219% increase.
National Response and Defensive Action
The Australian Government is ramping up its cyber defence capabilities through Project REDSPICE, which doubles ASD’s capacity to counter and disrupt malicious activity. In February 2025, Australia imposed its first-ever cyber sanctions — targeting a Russian company and its employees who facilitated the theft and storage of millions of personal records.
ASD’s offensive cyber operations also successfully disrupted criminal infrastructure hosting stolen data, marking a milestone in coordinated international action against cybercrime.
Building a More Resilient Australia
The ACSC emphasises that every Australian has a role to play in strengthening cyber resilience. Individuals are urged to adopt basic cyber hygiene measures — including multi-factor authentication, strong passwords, regular software updates, vigilance against phishing, and routine data backups.
For businesses, the ACSC advises adopting an ‘assume compromise’ mindset, focusing on protecting core assets and following four “big moves” for defence:
- Implement robust logging and monitoring.
- Replace outdated IT systems.
- Manage third-party risks effectively.
- Prepare for post-quantum cryptography.
- Organisations operating critical infrastructure or operational technology are also encouraged to strengthen isolation and recovery planning.
Looking Ahead
With the rise of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, the cyber threat landscape is evolving rapidly. The ACSC warns that malicious actors are increasingly using AI to automate and scale attacks. Preparing now for post-quantum computing and secure AI integration will be essential for Australia’s digital future.
The report underscores that cyber resilience is a shared national responsibility, requiring coordinated action across government, industry, and the community.
The full report provides detailed insights into emerging threats, response statistics, and the actions individuals and organisations can take to protect Australia’s digital ecosystem.
