{
  "id": 16594799,
  "title": "Australians should prepare for online services to go down unexpectedly as threats rise, cyber agency warns",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/australians-should-prepare-for-online-services-to-go-down",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-26T11:30:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Technology",
    "slug": "guardian-technology",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/oct/26/australians-should-prepare-for-online-services-to-go-down-unexpectedly-as-threats-rise-cyber-agency-warns"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) has issued a warning that Australians should prepare for unforeseen disruptions to essential online services due to escalating threats. In its annual cyber threat report, the agency advises that \"system security must be prioritised over system availability\".\n\nASD chief Abigail Bradshaw stated that advanced AI tools are crucial to defending against \"AI-enabled attackers\". The report reveals a 20% increase in cybersecurity incidents compared to the previous year, with the agency responding to 1,500 incidents in the 2025-26 period. External entities received notifications about over 4,400 potential malicious cyber incidents, marking an 80% rise from the prior year.\n\nThe agency warns that \"all network owners face elevated threat levels\" as AI is making it easier for cybercriminals and state-based actors to discover vulnerabilities and execute attacks more swiftly. While AI presents opportunities, the report cautions that it also enables cyber threats to grow more dangerous.\n\nASD highlights that government and private networks in Australia have faced persistent breach attempts from state-sponsored actors last year, possibly in preparation for future conflicts. AI's increasing availability is creating vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit faster and more effectively.\n\nThe report emphasizes that integrating AI tools into cybersecurity functions can help identify weaknesses or suspicious behaviour and improve responses. Bradshaw noted that \"legacy technology,\" such as outdated systems or devices without updated software, are attractive targets for hackers. The government is positioning Australia to respond to evolving threats and opportunities presented by emerging technologies.",
  "summary": "Australian Signals Directorate chief says advanced AI tools are needed to defend against ‘AI-enabled attackers’ Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast Australians should prepare for more basic and important online services to go offline unexpectedly, the nation’s signals intelligence agency has warned, urging that “system security must be prioritised over system…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}