[LINK] Australian CyberWarfare Battalion

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

It's all very well to ridicule ideas for Aussie cyber defence in future.

Imho, it's even easier to ridicule suggestions that we don't need plans.

And, simply to rely on our current individual and over-worked sys admins
striving to protect their (our) respective ICT systems against an outside
whole-of-government attack (which will-be/is how many, indeed most, future 
international disagreements will increasingly be waged) appears inadequate.

Surely, exactly how we defend our systems & networks is up for discussion. 

Hopefully, lots of discussion. 

Anyway, here's two more responses ..


1. "Sophistication needed in cyber defence strategies"

By Matthew Warren, 31 May 2013 http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4725500.html

"We are now seeing true sophistication in the planning and implementation 
of cyber attacks. In the lead-up to the federal election both major parties 
must make public their future policies and strategies for protecting 
Australia against the growing cyber risk," writes Matthew Warren.

The recent cases reported on ABC Four Corners regarding the alleged 
stealing of information from Australian corporate and government systems 
highlights the potential threat of cyber espionage.

The ABC Four Corners program Hacked! presented the view that Australia is 
the victim of an ongoing cyber espionage campaign and the specific target 
is Australian corporate and government computer systems and the data 
contained within these systems.

In January 2013, Prime Minister Julia Gillard released Australia's first 
National Security Strategy, Strong and Secure: A Strategy for Australia's 
National Security. 

This strategy reinforced the importance of the need to protect Australians 
against varied security threats including cyber threats (such as cyber 
espionage) and proposed the creation of the Australian Cyber Security 
Centre. 

The strategy also highlighted for the first time that "every day, 
Australian governments, businesses and individuals face a range of cyber-
related threats such as state-based and commercial espionage."

The Australian Government has also reported that between 2011 and 2012 
there were more than 400 cyber incidents against Australian government 
systems requiring a significant response by the Cyber Security Operations 
Centre. 

It also identified that in 2012 5.4 million Australians fell victim to 
cybercrime with an estimated cost to the Australian economy of $1.65 
billion.

In recent months more cyber espionage attacks have been reported around the 
world with the attacks being aimed predominantly at corporate and 
government organisations..

So what can Australia do to both respond to this threat and counteract its 
effects? 

What is needed is a national holistic approach to this problem of cyber 
protection, which must cover a wide range of issues covering the protection 
of corporate and government systems, protection for small businesses, 
research funding for Australian universities to help support the cyber 
protection of Australia and the development of a national cyber safety 
campaign for all Australians.

Australia recently held its annual Cyber Security Awareness Week and there 
was surprisingly limited coverage in the mainstream media. (snip)

There's also a question about the role of the new Australian Cyber Security 
Centre and the responsibility that it will have in protecting against the 
threat of cyber espionage and other cyber related security issues at the 
national level.

With the federal election approaching in September, both of the major 
parties should make public their future policies and strategies for 
protecting Australia against the growing cyber risk and clearly articulate 
how they will safeguard Australia in the ever changing cyber world.

Matthew Warren is a Professor of Information Systems at Deakin University

--

2. http://www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine/issue/7/articles/24.html

"DSD has placed significant investment in new technology and analytical 
capabilities to guard against cyber threats and preserve Defence's edge in 
cyberspace. The bulk of the operational capability resides in the Cyber 
Security Operations Centre. This Centre hosts embedded staff from across 
Defence, and includes representatives from the Australian Security 
Intelligence Organisation, Australian Federal Police and the Attorney-
General's Computer Emergency Response Team." 

National Security Adviser Margot McCarthy previously said that "guidance 
for the centre will be provided by a board of secretaries and agency heads 
from a range of agencies", and that because 95 percent of staff will 
initially be from DoD, it was likely to be overseen by an official from 
that department.

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