Cyber attacks on Australian businesses increasing daily: spy agencies

Australia's top spy agencies warned on Wednesday that the number of cyber security threats in Australia is increasing by the day.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), which works with the country's chief covert agency Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the Federal Police, revealed in its first unclassified report that more than 11,000 cyber security incidents affected Australian businesses last year.

More than 150 of the incidents involved critical infrastructure and others connected with national security, the agency said in a report issued on Wednesday.

The ACSC said it saw "daily" cyber espionage activity targeting Australian government networks.

It reported: "Destructive cyber attacks could be considered equivalent to an armed attack, and therefore, an act of war."

The center urged Australian businesses to guard against cyber threats, adding banks and energy companies were among the most targeted firms in 2014.

"To combat the threats detailed in this report and reduce the risk of compromise, organizations must move now to implement cyber security measures to make Australia a harder target, increase the confidence of Australians when they are online, and maximize the benefits of the Internet for Australian organizations," the center said. Endi