Cybersecurity
Census Crash Spurs Australia Security Fears in Blow to Turnbull
- Australia insists data secure after online survey shut down
- Census failure is first big test for re-elected government
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Photographer: Mick Tsikas/EPAThis article is for subscribers only.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s government is facing its first big test since scraping back into office last month, after an apparent overseas attack crashed Australia’s online census and threatened to derail the survey.
The five-yearly census, which is used to underpin economic planning and public service provision, was shut down late yesterday after four so-called denial of service attacks, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The failure is embarrassing for the government, which has defended the integrity of the survey amid calls for a boycott over privacy concerns.