1,500 Incidents Drive Cyber Outage Warning

The Australian Signals Directorate handled 1,500 cybersecurity incidents in 2025-26, a 20 percent jump from the prior year. The agency told the public to expect unexpected interruptions to essential online services as organizations prioritize security over access. ASD stated that protecting systems must take precedence, even if that requires taking services offline while fixes are applied.

The rise in activity coincides with a sharp increase in external alerts. ASD notified businesses, governments, and critical infrastructure operators of more than 4,400 potentially malicious cyber incidents. That notification figure rose 80 percent in a single year. The report identified hostile foreign governments, criminals, and hackers as the primary drivers of these attempts.

ASD director general Abigail Bradshaw announced the findings on Monday. She argued that Australia needs to accelerate improvements to its technology and cybersecurity foundations. Bradshaw called for AI tools to automate defensive work so organizations can keep pace with attackers using the same technology. She noted that ASD has access to Anthropic's Mythos model, which the developer kept private because it identifies previously unknown flaws in IT systems.

The agency warned that artificial intelligence is helping attackers discover weaknesses and conduct operations more quickly. State-based actors in the Indo-Pacific may be conducting attacks to prepare for future conflicts, including intelligence gathering or disruption. ASD urged businesses to treat cybersecurity as a central business risk and a responsibility for organizational leaders.

Government officials supported the push for stronger defenses. Defence minister Richard Marles urged Australians to improve their protections while leveraging AI. Home affairs and cybersecurity minister Tony Burke said the government is preparing Australia to respond to emerging technology threats. Both ministers agreed that security should come before keeping systems online.

Bradshaw identified ageing technology as a major vulnerability, specifically systems whose makers no longer provide updates. Such equipment presents an attractive target for hackers. Last week, newly identified weaknesses in PHP, the programming language underpinning most websites, forced governments and businesses to rush patching efforts. ASD urged organizations to keep systems updated and report suspicious incidents.

The agency said more services may become temporarily unavailable as organizations secure them. Bradshaw and Marles said this trade-off is necessary to maintain long-term stability. The annual report marks the latest effort by ASD to align national defenses with the evolving threat environment.