[LINK] No Australian govt defence against cyber attacks

[Kim Holburn]

http://www.zdnet.com.au/no-govt-defence-against-cyber-attacks-339306238.htm

> The government will not lift a finger to help businesses under  
> attack from hackers, unless the offence presents a high risk to  
> national security, a senior Attorney-General's policy official says.
>
> Instead, Australia's security agencies will forge a response based  
> on the "pathology of the problem", incorporating the risk the attack  
> poses to government and the community.
>
> Mike Rothery, first assistant secretary for the National Security  
> Resilience Policy Division in the Attorney-General's Department,  
> said organisations must source their own capability to defend attacks.
>
> "To be honest, we struggle to defend our own systems from the  
> current threats — the idea that we can extend the envelope to  
> protect the mining industry's SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data  
> Acquisition) or the banking industry just doesn't fly," Rothery said.
>
> "The people that will defend Westpac will be from Westpac, and  
> Telstra will use people from Telstra. It won't be the Australian  
> Army or Signals Corps."
>
> Rothery said the government may offer some flavour of response  
> depending on how the attack affects the community.
>

> Moreover, those businesses that are attacked and attempt a counter- 
> offensive "hack back" may breach federal laws.
>

-- 
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
T: +61 2 61402408  M: +61 404072753
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