The nation's top spy has used a major speech to warn there is a "realistic possibility" a foreign government will try to assassinate a dissident on Australian soil, saying ASIO believes "at least three" nations are willing and capable of carrying out such a plot.

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director-general Mike Burgess used the 2025 Lowy Lecture to reveal how a foreign intelligence service attempted to use an Australian citizen to secretly pass information offshore.

He also issued a warning about how hostile foreign governments were targeting Australia's social cohesion, critical infrastructure and defence secrets.

Mr Burgess warned some nations wanted to "exploit fault lines in countries they consider hostile" — pointing to Iran's foreign interference plot where it

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