The Australian government "has determined that Russian state actors are actively exploiting SolarWinds and its supply chains," Senator Payne said in a statement also signed by Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews.

"Over the past 12 months, Australia has witnessed Russia use malicious activity to undermine international stability, security and public safety. Australia condemns such behaviour," the statement issued late on Thursday night added.

The US government earlier on Thursday blamed Russia's foreign intelligence service, known as the SVR, for the SolarWinds hack last year.

The alleged cyber-espionage operation was carried out largely through a hack of widely used software from Texas-based SolarWinds Inc and resulted in intrusions at nine US federal agencies and hundreds of private companies around the world.

The SVR overnight called the US allegations that it was responsible for the SolarWinds hack "nonsense" and "windbaggery," the Interfax news agency reported, citing a statement from Russia's SVR.

Officials from the United Kingdom and the European Union on Thursday also expressed solidarity with the US over the cyber attacks.

"The UK and the US are calling out Russia's malicious behaviour to enable our international partners and businesses at home to better defend and prepare themselves against this kind of action," UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.

The EUs foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said "we share the concerns of our partners about the increasing number of malicious cyber activities".

Australian Associated Press