National

AFP details exposed after Colombian hack

By AAP Newswire

Oct 14, 2022

AFP headquarters in Canberra — The AFP "is concerned about possible breaches of operational security" following the hack. -AAP Image

Australian Federal Police drug operations and the details of its officers have been exposed after a trove of classified documents were hacked from the Colombian government.

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The agency says it's working with its international partners to help Colombian law enforcement bolster its security for computer systems and identify what information has been exposed.

"The AFP is concerned about possible breaches of operational security as a consequence of this data compromise," a spokesman said in a statement on Friday.

"The AFP is working with our partners in impacted regions to mitigate any potential threats to the safety of people, or ongoing investigations."

The spokesman said co-operation with Colombian law enforcement agencies had prevented large amounts of drug importations entering Australia and had disrupted drug cartels.

Senior Labor minister Jason Clare said the data breach was serious.

"We all know about Colombian drug cartels and their tentacles stretched out right across the world, including here in Australia, where you've got criminals working with them," he told Seven's Sunrise.

About 70 per cent of Australia's serious and organised crime threats are based offshore or have strong international links.

The AFP was involved in 266 international disruption operations that stopped drugs from reaching Australian shores in the 2021-22 financial year.