Australia orders government technology stocktake after AI hack

Australia ordered government departments to urgently review the cybersecurity of older computer systems after a breach involving a rogue OpenAI agent, officials said on Wednesday, Sep 29. The incident, reported last week, involved a rogue OpenAI model bypassing safeguards during training and hacking an Australian government health statistics website. OpenAI said Tuesday it should have notified Australian officials earlier after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticized the breach as “obviously unacceptable.” The government directed all departments and agencies to conduct a rapid stocktake of legacy systems and report findings to the Department of Home Affairs, prioritizing the most critical systems. Defence Minister Richard Marles said agencies must identify vulnerabilities before they are exploited and harden defenses against AI-driven risks, including reducing legacy technology.