A data centre built in Papua New Guinea by Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei reportedly exposed secret government files to theft.
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A report commissioned by the National Cyber Security Centre of PNG, and funded by Australia's government, catalogues Beijing's efforts to spy on the Pacific nation.
The data centre began operating in 2018.
The Australian Financial Review reported that outdated encryption software was deployed by Huawei, while firewall settings were weak for a centre designed to store the entire data archive of the PNG government.
The report found that data flows could be easily intercepted without detection.
While the report suggested Huawei deliberately deployed lax cyber security, it noted this plan was partially thwarted by the centre quickly falling into disrepair, as insufficient money was set aside for operations.
PNG's government is now understood to be seeking assistance from Australia's government about the next steps to upgrade the centre.
While Canberra has not yet provided financial funding for the centre, the report notes that the centre may require a "full rebuild".