Cyber attacks constant, Australia says (AFP)

SYDNEY (AFP) – Australia's attorney-general said cyber attacks had become so frequent that government and private networks were under "continuous threat", testing online security defences.

But Robert McClelland on Friday declined to single out China, at the centre of hacking allegations from Internet giant Google, saying the "Australian government's position is not to identify a source of suspected espionage."

"The reality is espionage can be unquestionably undertaken by other countries, by organised criminals, or indeed by business competitors," he said.

McClelland said it was "unquestionably" in Australia's interest to stay ahead of the evolving, and mounting, cyber threats, as he announced a white paper on the future of Australia's Internet security to be published in 2012.

"Security agencies are finding malicious activity is increasing to a point where systems in both government and the private sector are under continuous threat," he said in a speech to business leaders on cyber crime.

"The cyber threat to Australia is real, evolving and continuing to test our defences."

Foreign intelligence agencies, criminal organisations and commercial competitors were all to blame, with electronic spying cheap and low risk but with huge potential gains, he added.

Authorities estimate cyber crime worldwide to be worth several times more than the illegal drugs racket.

Woodside Petroleum's chief Don Voelte on Monday said the energy giant had suffered attacks from "everywhere", including eastern Europe, Russia and China, with Shell Australia also admitting cyber assaults.

The computers of Australia's prime minister, foreign and defence ministers were all suspected of being hacked in March, with China under suspicion.

Beijing has dismissed the allegations as "groundless and made out of ulterior purposes."

China also angrily rejected suggestions from Google this week that a cyber spying campaign targetting the Gmail accounts of senior US officials, military personnel, journalists and Chinese activists had originated in China.

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Lockheed Martin hit by cyber attack

Officials at Lockheed Martin detected and thwarted a cyber attack earlier in May.The company says no customer, program or employee personal data has been compromisedLockheed Martin is one of the world's largest aerospace companies

(CNN) -- Lockheed Martin acknowledged a "tenacious" attack on its information systems network this month but said no customer data was compromised.

The company issued a statement Saturday saying it learned of "a significant and tenacious attack" on May 21. It said the company's information security team quickly detected the attack and that no customer, program or employee personal data has been compromised.

It did not elaborate on the nature of the attack.

"Throughout the ongoing investigation, Lockheed Martin has continued to keep the appropriate U.S. government agencies informed of our actions," the statement said. "The team continues to work around the clock to restore employee access to the network, while maintaining the highest level of security."

Lockheed Martin is one the world's largest aerospace companies. It has about 126,000 employees, according to the statement.

CNN's Deborah Doft contributed to this report.

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Lockheed Martin hit by cyber attack (AP)

By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press – Sat May 28, 11:58 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Hackers launched a "significant and tenacious" cyber attack on Lockheed Martin, a major defense contractor holding highly sensitive information, but its secrets remained safe, the company said Saturday.

Lockheed Martin, the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon confirmed that the contractor's information systems had come under attack. Lt. Col. April Cunningham, speaking for the Defense Department, said the impact on the Pentagon "is minimal and we don't expect any adverse effect."

Still, the concerted attempt to breach the contractor's systems underscored the risk to the nation's critical defense data. Chris Ortman, Homeland Security spokesman, said his agency and the Pentagon were working with the company to determine the breadth of the attack and "provide recommendations to mitigate further risk."

Lockheed Martin said in a statement that it detected the May 21 attack "almost immediately" and took countermeasures. As a result, "our systems remain secure; no customer, program or employee personal data has been compromised." The company's security team is still working to restore employee access to the targeted network. Neither Lockheed Martin nor the federal agencies revealed specifics of the attack.

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AP writer Jennifer Malloy contributed to this report from Los Angeles.

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