War-related IT attacks slammed

The prospect of a retaliatory cyberterror or info-war attack on Australia’s critical telecommunications infrastructure by Iraq has been publicly hosed down as "industry rumour" by Telstra’s chief technology officer Dr Hugh Bradlow.

He said he had received no "specific security advice" relating to threats to Australia’s largest carrier and ISP as a result of the conflict in Iraq.

Defence sources have also poured cold water on the ability of the Iraqi regime to directly launch a cyber attack onto Australia, saying that it was more probable that any serious cyber or information aimed attack could originate from "other nations with a known history".

The US has already protested to the Russian government over a private firm which is alleged to be providing technology to Iraq that interferes with global positioning system (GPS) technology used to guide munitions to intended targets.

On the domestic cybersecurity front, Computerworld understands that Australian Federal and State law enforcement agencies are actively engaged in monitoring so-called ‘Internet chatter’ from a variety of anti-war and anti-globalisation groups – groups that have successfully used the Internet to muster street protests rapidly in the past.

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