In what is the largest cyber attack on an Australian media company, Nine Network’s news output was taken off air on 28 March 2021. The attack on Nine came at the same moment that the Australian parliament suffered what’s been described as “major technical disruption”. This resulted in MPs and senators losing access to the parliamentary email.

Australia’s Department of Parliamentary Services said: “DPS is also working to investigate the cause of the disruption and the Australian Cyber Security Centre is providing advice as part of that process. DPS is working to resolve the issues and some services have been restored.”

Nine Network’s Weekend Today show was not able to be broadcast in its usual 0700-1300 scheduled slot. Sunday Sport was also disrupted.

Staff at Nine’s Sydney headquarters were told to work from home, while the team in the newsroom scrambled to use pen, paper and whiteboards to get the 6.00pm news bulletin on the air from Melbourne, rather than the Sydney newsroom. One staff wrote on Facebook: “Tonight, Channel 9 Australia had to put their news to air the hard way. Fully manual. No automation. No ENPS. All by hand. Editing via laptop and dumping to XDCAM Discs. This, thanks to a cyber attack that took out the company’s entire IT network. This is the evening news bulletin, compiled via whiteboard. Studio operators used stopwatches.”

“This attack on Nine Network demonstrates the importance of cyber security and sharing knowledge between broadcasters globally,” said Simon Spanswick, CEO of the Association for International Broadcasting. “The knowledge that such attacks are likely, and that they will become more common, is driving the AIB’s work on cyber security. We are developing, with Royal Holloway University of London, a broadcasting cyber security centre of excellence to test and evaluate equipment that our Members use, or are considering using, in their broadcasting centres. It’s only through concerted, joined-up thinking by broadcasters internationally that we can protect the industry from these types of incidents.”

For more information about the AIB’s Cyber Security work, talk to Tom Wragg or Simon Spanswick at the AIB Secretariat.

Whiteboard image: Ross Power/Facebook/Edit Suite Stories

​

AIBs 2021 Partnerships

Align your brand with the world’s best journalism.

The need for reliable and impartial journalism has never been greater. Across the world, people are hungry for news and information to help them get through the pandemic and return their lives to something approaching normality.

Never has there been a better time to align your brand with the stories that matter across the world and to tell your clients that you recognise and support the best journalism in the world.

I want to invite you to demonstrate your support by partnering with the AIBs 2021.

This annual competition was established 17 years ago. It’s truly international, attracting entries from every continent. The range, breadth and depth of work that is showcased every year is astonishing.

In 2021, we are running the AIBs as usual, building on the success of almost two decades of rewarding the best journalism and factual productions from around the world. This year as last, we’re not letting the pandemic stand in the way of rewarding the individuals and teams that have continued to bring audiences globally the programmes they need to make sense of the world.

With international travel likely to be restricted for months to come, we will once again be staging the AIBs on screen, rather than as a live event. We were successful in doing this in 2020. We received plaudits from people throughout the world on the way we ensured that entrants were properly celebrated and the winners appropriately rewarded.

Join us as we set off on our 17th annual journey to find the world’s best journalism and factual productions across television, radio, and digital platforms.