If you thought Chinese intelligence agencies had more on their minds than the NSW election, you should think again, according to a security analysis that found our key trading partner may seek to disrupt the state's democratic big day.
A report commissioned by the NSW Electoral Commission warned cyber attacks could be waged against iVote, an electronic system that will allow eligible people to vote in the March 28 election using the internet or a phone.
Up to 200,000 voters are expected to register.
The consultants' report, parts of which have been labelled "silly", lumped groups such as al-Qaeda and the governments of China, North Korea and Iran with the home-grown "threat" of anti-coal and refugee activists.
It claimed covert groups with a "broad spectrum of capability" may use "offensive actions" to influence the NSW election result, embarrass authorities or gain media attention.
But the NSW Electoral Commission says it has installed safeguards to protect votes from hackers and fraudsters, and the public can rest assured the system is secure.
iVote has previously been used at the 2011 state election and subsequent byelections. Eligible voters include those who are blind or vision-impaired, people with a disability or reading problems, and those who live more than 20km from a polling booth or will be away from NSW on election day.
But a report delivered last year by technology consultants CSC Australia warned pioneering use of the technology in NSW was attracting national and international attention – and not always for the right reasons.
The report, illustrated with stock images of gun-toting criminals and men in balaclavas, said China may attempt to influence the electronic voting results "for its national objective to secure global resources", such as limiting the power of the National Party.
It pointed to criticism that the Nationals' federal policy influence hampers trade deals with China.
The report claimed China might also target iVote to learn about how such systems operate for "potential future exploitation" or to plant sleeper malware technology for future operations.
The Chinese Embassy did not respond to a request for comment.
Groups posing a lesser potential threat, according to the report, included al-Qaeda, Eastern European organised crime groups, the government of Iran and the Syrian Electronic Army. It also identified those who run the iVote system and other insiders as a potential risk
The report claimed refugee advocates such as the Refugee Action Coalition have been "involved in illegal activities in order to free and hide detainees" and a change in political agenda "could bring about greater overall activity", implying cyber attacks were possible.
The group's spokesman, Ian Rintoul, said "electoral fraud has never been high on our agenda" and the group was "more than a little surprised" at being included in the analysis.
The report said anti-coal activists such as Lock the Gate Alliance posed a low threat but attempts to boost the "left-wing" vote could see the state election targeted.
Alliance spokeswoman Georgina Woods said its inclusion was "silly bureaucratic excess" and the group posed no risk to the NSW election.
A NSW Electoral Commission spokesman said the iVote "security implementation statement" will be published this week. He said the consultants' report cost about $50,000.
"The NSWEC has instituted every reasonable process and put in place safeguards to mitigate all identified risks," he said.
