[LINK] Need for Australian Cyber Security White-paper

[Tom Worthington]

The Australian Government released a Defence White Paper 2013 (May 
2013). This highlights the risk of cyber attacks on defence, government 
and commercial information networks (Pages 20 and 21): 
http://www.defence.gov.au/WhitePaper2013/docs/WP_2013_web.pdf

The paper claims that the Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) has 
"allowed the development of a comprehensive understanding of the cyber 
threat environment and coordinated responses to malicious cyber events 
that target government networks". However, this addresses only 
government networks, not essential services provided by the private 
sector and on which government and defence depend. The paper envisages 
participation of key industry and private sector partners, but no 
further details are provided.

In September 2011 the Australian Department of Prime Minister and 
Cabinet (PM&C) issued a discussion paper “Connecting with Confidence, 
Optimising Australia’s Digital Future”, with the aim of releasing a 
cyber security policy white paper in mid 2012: 
http://web.archive.org/web/20120106034224/http://cyberwhitepaper.dpmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/connecting_with_confidence_public_discussion_paper.pdf

The Australian Computer Society assisted PM&C with consultations, 
including arranging a meeting in Canberra, 18 October 2011. The ACS 
released a Submission for the Australian Cyber Policy White 
Paper:http://www.acs.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/2659/ACSCyberDiscussionPaperSubmission.pdf

But in a speech October 2011, the Prime Minister said that she thought 
the Cyber White Paper should be broadened to a "digital White Paper" 
("Closing Remarks to the Digital Economy Forum", Speech, Julia Gillard, 
Prime Minister of Australia, 5 October 2012): 
http://www.pm.gov.au/press-office/closing-remarks-digital-economy-forum

No Cyber White Paper has been released. As a result Australia's national 
infrastructure remains vulnerable to cyber attack. The Australian 
government needs to revive the cyber security white paper process.


-- 
Tom Worthington FACS CP, TomW Communications Pty Ltd. t: 0419496150
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia  http://www.tomw.net.au
Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards
Legislation

Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Research School of Computer Science,
Australian National University http://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/COMP7310/