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back to article Oz submarine bidders paper over hack attacks, deliver tenders by hand

Hacking attempts are forcing bidders in Germany, France, and Japan for Australia's A$50 billion submarine contract to rely on hand-delivery for sensitive information. The attacks are merely repeat attempts and there is no evidence so far of any breach, The Australian reports. Previously suspected but unreported, the news …

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  1. Your alien overlord - fear me

    New project for el Reg, RASCAL - Register's Australian Submarine Costs A Lot. Obviously paper prototypes will be discouraged.

    6 0 Reply
    1. Martin Budden Silver badge
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      First mission: search & recover the missing playmonaut!

      6 0 Reply
  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The Collins Class has been such a clusterfuck that maybe it's time we go overseas (underseas?) for the next build.

    2 0 Reply
    1. Mark 85
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      Is there any country who hasn't had clusterfuck lately in building hardware for defense?

      8 0 Reply
    2. mathew42
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      Mushroom

      I agree the build of the Collins Class was mess. The contractors made more money on change requests than the original project value. However the end product was able to breach the security perimeter around a US Navy aircraft carrier and close to within periscope range during war games so I would count that as pretty significant.

      4 0 Reply
      1. Solmyr ibn Wali Barad
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        Collins class was initially too noisy compared to their previous Oberon-class subs. And hull noise is a bloody difficult thing to rectify. No wonder they spent a fortune on rebuilds. Good to know it wasn't in vain.

        Btw, one of the Porpoises managed to jump out near the Statue of Liberty:

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Porpoise_class_submarine

        0 0 Reply
  3. Anonymous Coward
    Meh

    Doing it by hand

    I don't see anything noteworthy about hand-delivery. If the info is sensitive enough and important enough, guaranteed and unintercepted delivery by hand is a tried-and-trusted method.

    It is a little concerning, though, that hackers have reason to believe that such sensitive information is exposed to the internet in the first place.

    8 0 Reply
    1. phuzz Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      Facepalm

      Re: Doing it by hand

      I wouldn't be surprised if the actual designers etc have to work on machines on an air-gapped network, but there's always some executive who thinks they know better and will have sensitive company information on their kid's iPad so they can "work on it from home" or some similar fustercluck.

      Those execs are who the hackers are going after.

      5 0 Reply
  4. x 7

    Weren't BAE Systems asked to bid? Or have they forgotten how to build conventional powered subs?

    To be honest, the Oz's might as well hand the contract to China - that would end the spying

    0 0 Reply

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