Following a spate of high-profile cyberattacks against Australian businesses this year, Australia will develop a new cybersecurity strategy aimed at strengthening the country’s critical infrastructure, among other goals. It’s a schedule.
In a speech at the National Press Club today, Home Secretary and Minister for Cyber Security Claire O’Neill said the strategy was shared by Rachel Falk, CEO of the Cyber Security Collaborative Research Center, Andy Penn, former CEO of Telstra, and former He said it would be led by Air Force Secretary Mel. Hapfeld.
There will also be a panel of experts from around the world, led by Ciaran Martin, former CEO of the UK National Center for Cyber Security and Professor at the University of Oxford.
“What worries me most is the chain of disasters,” O’Neill said. “Imagine January in the future when Black He hit Saturday-sized wildfires in the southeast, massive flooding in the north, and cyberattacks on major hospital systems in the west. increase.
“Our country will be fully immersed in domestic crisis management. Then consider how much we can be involved in security issues in our region.”
According to O’Neill, Australia is in a state of “cyber slumber,” as evidenced by former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s decision to abolish the Department of Cybersecurity when he took office.
But the Optus and Medibank breaches were alarm bells. “I felt them deeply. My family was involved in both,” O’Neill said. “It is my job to turn this series of disasters into a permanent step change in national cybersecurity.”
It is unreasonable to expect detailed policy proposals given that the minister has announced the work to develop the strategy rather than the strategy itself. But her stated goal is to make Australia “the most cyber-secure country in the world by 2030.”
O’Neill listed four ways the government plans to make that happen. Strengthen international efforts to make Australia a global cyber leader. Strengthen critical infrastructure and government networks. and build a sovereign cybersecurity function.
In a post-speech question, O’Neill said: One of my challenges is how to deal with this problem. ’” She noted that securing government infrastructure is expensive.
The Minister appeared to be seeking bipartisan support for the formulation and implementation of the strategy when he said: Our country is safer. ”
The announcement was welcomed by at least some parts of the IT industry.
Adrian Covich, Senior Director, Asia Pacific, Proofpoint, said: Japan.
“The cybersecurity strategy is a positive step, but as a country we need to ensure cooperation between governments, businesses, industry partners and educational institutions to ensure we have the capabilities and cyber skills needed to protect Australia. I have.
“We hope the government’s new strategy will help Australia work towards adopting a clear and unified approach to anticipating and overcoming cybersecurity challenges in the future.”
