Foreign spies are targeting defence employees working on Aukus, Asio boss reveals

Public servants and private contractors with access to sensitive national security information are making it easy for spies, including by posting on LinkedIn, Mike Burgess will say in a speech

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Foreign spies have an unhealthy interest in the Aukus submarine deal and are targeting defence employees working to develop nuclear capability in Australia, the head of the domestic intelligence agency says.

The Asio director general, Mike Burgess, has revealed intelligence operatives have disrupted 24 major espionage and foreign interference operations in the past three years, uncovering spies stealing sensitive government data and a visiting academic who broke into a restricted technology laboratory to film.