Chinese hackers blamed for severe breach at US Cyber Firm F5 | Microsoft aims to make most new products outside China from 2026 | Labor to crack down on crypto ATMs amid scam surge

Summary

A major US cybersecurity firm, F5 Inc., disclosed a potentially “catastrophic” breach attributed to state-backed Chinese actors. Attackers obtained persistent access to systems and stole portions of BIG-IP source code and vulnerability details, putting customers at risk.

Microsoft is reportedly planning to move the majority of production for new products out of China from 2026, part of a broader trend among US tech firms to diversify supply chains; Amazon Web Services is also shifting sourcing down to component level.

In Australia, the Albanese government will create new enforcement powers to curb the use of crypto ATMs after authorities warned these machines are being used for scams, money laundering and potentially terrorism financing.

Key Points

F5 reported long-term, persistent network access and theft of source code and flaw details affecting BIG-IP application services.
The breach is being blamed on state-backed Chinese hackers and has been described as potentially “catastrophic” for customers and government clients.
Microsoft plans to produce most new products outside China from 2026, accelerating supply-chain diversification amid geopolitical tensions.
Amazon Web Services is also moving its supply-chain adjustments deeper, down to the component level.
The Albanese government will introduce powers to crack down on crypto ATMs after a surge in scams and illicit finance linked to the machines.
These stories fit broader trends: nation-state cyber operations, tech supply-chain decoupling, and tightened regulation of crypto infrastructure.

Context and relevance

Why this matters: F5 supplies widely used application services to Fortune 500 firms and governments — stolen source code and exploit details could be weaponised against thousands of organisations. The Microsoft and AWS supply-chain moves underline how geopolitical friction is reshaping where and how hardware is built. Australia’s crypto ATM action shows regulators responding to fast-moving criminal use of decentralised value rails.

Author’s take (punchy): These three items are threads of the same tapestry — security, supply chains and the plumbing of digital finance. If you care about resilience (or run infrastructure), read the detail: the operational consequences could be immediate and long-lasting.

Why should I read this?

Short answer: because this is the sort of stuff that breaks things for everyone. The F5 breach could lead to fresh attacks on big organisations; the Microsoft/AWS supply changes will affect procurement, costs and where kit gets built; and the crypto ATM crackdown signals tighter domestic controls on how illicit money moves. We’ve skimmed the noise — this saves you time and points straight to the parts that matter.