Defence contractor's computer system hacked, files stolen, cyber security report reveals

Cyber thieves hacked into the computer system of a national security contractor last year, the Federal Government will today reveal.

The intruders had access to the IT network for a long period of time and stole large amounts of the defence supplier's data.

The Government's Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) learned of the incident last November and helped end the attack. Assistant Minister for Cyber Security Dan Tehan said it was unclear who launched the incursion, but the Government was not ruling out a foreign government. "It could have been a state actor, it could have been cyber criminals, and that's why it was taken so seriously," he said.