New Zealand Security Chiefs Increasingly Concerned About Foreign Interference

New Zealand Security Chiefs Increasingly Concerned About Foreign Interference

New Zealand intelligence agencies are growing more concerned about both foreign interference and malicious cyber activity ahead of #elections in October, the country’s intelligence chiefs said on Monday.

It’s fair to say that concern about foreign interference as well as malicious cyber activity is growing, Andrew Hampton, director general of the New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau (#GCSB), told media after testifying at parliament.

State-sponsored cybersecurity actors feature significantly with 34 percent of recorded incidents that can be linked to state actors, up from 28 percent the previous year, said Hampton.

Security services are working with the election authority to improve cybersecurity and procedures, and will also brief political parties on security and foreign interference threats.

Both the GCSB and Security Intelligence Service chiefs were speaking before the intelligence committee that includes the country’s Prime Minister as part of their annual review.

Much of the testimony was classified and closed to the public.