“Spies in suits” targeting disgruntled employees have emerged as a major national security concern for Australia, warns Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil. 

A government review reveals that foreign intelligence services are using the dark web to recruit individuals motivated by financial gain or revenge. 

This insider espionage poses a significant threat to critical infrastructure, including hospitals, energy, telecommunications, and food delivery networks. 

The new report says that working from home trends have made it harder to detect insider threats, with increased connections between personal and work devices. 

The fast-paced nature of critical infrastructure sectors also exposes vulnerabilities due to staff turnover and shortages. 

Insider threats are now a top priority for foreign actors attempting to influence Australian companies and government systems. 

The review highlights the use of chat forums like Discord and War Thunder for leaking classified or sensitive information. Addressing these risks will require expanded employee online activity management. 

As espionage takes precedence over terrorism in national security concerns, the government says it is crucial to safeguard critical infrastructure.

It has outlined 11 vulnerable sectors including hospitals, energy grids, water supply, transportation, aviation, maritime, 5G communications, digitised medical records, outsourced IT services, remote energy facility management, and automated food delivery networks. Additionally, the expected increase in natural disasters further challenges the resilience of critical infrastructure systems.

The full report is accessible in PDF form, here.