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Police investigate classification.gov.au hack

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has been called in by the Attorney-General's Department to investigate the hack of the Classification Board's website.
Written by Liam Tung, Contributing Writer

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has been called in by the Attorney-General's Department to investigate the hack of the Classification Board's website.

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(Credit: Anonymous ZDNet.com.au reader)

The website of the Australia's Classification Board, which determines Australia's film, literature, gaming and media classifications, was last week hacked by protesters against its regime.

The site, which was still inaccessible this morning, would remain offline while the AFP investigated the matter, a spokesperson for the Attorney-General's Department told ZDNet.com.au on Friday.

"The department is aware the Classification Board's website was hacked into last night [26 March]. It has been taken down while the incident is being investigated," the AGD spokesperson said. "The matter has been referred to the AFP."

Following the AFP's investigation, a report will also be handed to Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, the spokesperson said.

The hack occurred shortly after Minister for Communications Stephen Conroy appeared on the ABC's current affairs panel Q&A, where the second half covered the ongoing debate about the government's proposed mandatory filtering scheme.

It's the second security breach in as many weeks triggered by public outraged by the government's internet filtering plans. Last week an alleged copy of the Australian Media and Communications Authority's (ACMA) blacklist was leaked on whistle-blower website, Wikileaks.

Conroy denied the list was authentic, but admitted it shared some common web links. Soon after a new list was published.

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