Former spy chief Rachel Noble on Chinese hacking threat Salt Typhoon: The Issue with Tim Lester

It’s a well-worn plot for a movie thriller.

Two decades ago, John McClane (Bruce Willis) had to take down a cyber terrorist attacking critical national infrastructure.

Far-fetched? Perhaps it was then, but not anymore.

Just last week, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) — Australia’s leading cyber security and intelligence agency — issued an advisory acknowledging for the first time a threat known as ‘Salt Typhoon’ had been found in Australia.

ASD’s former Director-General, Rachel Noble told 7NEWS’ The Issue the agency’s advisory was “extraordinary”.

The China-based hackers behind Salt Typhoon target major telecommunications companies, and other services that carry military communications.

According to Noble, there is a substantial threat to individuals using telcos if they’ve b