Hackers Shut Down NSW Government’s Budgeting System
Hackers exploiting the world-wide Log4j vulnerability were able to hack into the NSW Government’s Oracle-based computing system this week, forcing a shut down and delaying the half-yearly budget review.
Treasurer Matt Kean was unable to publish his budget update this morning, with the document now due around 2pm.
“On Monday night we were made aware that there was a global cyber attack on the platform that we use to prepare the state’s finances,” Kean said.
“As a precautionary measure we’ve disconnected our software system from the rest of the network to ensure there was no data breach.”
Kean’s publication of the budget isn’t a triumph in any event. The forecast budget deficit has more than doubled due to the pandemic lockdowns, increasing from $8.6 billion to $19.5 billion.