The Turnbull government has been briefed behind closed doors about a potential Russian cyber-attack ahead of the next election.
A two-hour meeting was held in Canberra yesterday, with intelligence agencies warning there is a growing threat posed by state-sponsored cyber influence, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The main threat could come from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Politicians are understood to have been told how to minimise the threat of exposure to cyber-crime such as espionage and cyber-attacks, in addition to what can be done to protect them.
It comes as Donald Trump’s national security advisor Michael Flynn resigned, following reports he mislead Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with Russia.
The US presidential election was tainted with revelations the Democratic National Committee’s emails were hacked.