Photo: AFP
Australia's second-largest port operator has shut down because of a cyber security incident, impacting the movement of goods in and out of the country.
DP World Australia, which operates ports in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle, and is responsible for 40 percent of maritime freight, said it began responding to a cybersecurity incident on Friday.
While ships remain able to unload freight, the freight cannot then leave the port site.
"To safeguard our employees, customers, and our networks, we have restricted landside access to our Australian port operations while we continue our investigation," a spokesperson said.
The operator said it took immediate action which included disconnecting internet connectivity, which stopped any ongoing unauthorised access.
This resulted in key systems that underpin operations at its Australian ports to not function normally.
DP World said its response was comprehensive and included engaging with cybersecurity experts, actively investigating the incident and notifying the relevant authorities.
The company said on Saturday evening it was continuing to respond to the situation "around the clock" and was ensuring that "sensitive inbound freight" could still be processed.
Home Affairs minister Claire O'Neil said the federal government was aware of the incident and was receiving regular briefings from DP World.
She said National Cyber Security Coordinator Air Marshal Darren Goldie would be providing technical advice and assistance as needed.
On Saturday he tweeted that the government was responding to a "nationally significant cyber incident impacting a number of maritime port facilities".
"This interruption is likely to continue for a number of days and will impact the movement of goods into and out of the country."
DP World Australia is one of three port operators in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and one of two operators in Fremantle.
- This article was originally published by ABC.