It is hard for us in Australia to imagine the consequence of a Cyber Security attack: an extended loss of power or the failure of related systems such as ATMs, the Internet and key medical equipment not working; the failure of public transportation systems; water treatment plants being non-functional; or a lack of food at the supermarkets due to the malfunction of food distribution systems. The situation also highlights how dependent we are on our key critical infrastructure systems and how any Cyber-attacks on these key systems could impact every Australian and their day to day activities.
These new wave of Cyber Security attacks from a State based actor is why the Australian government is concerned. These attacks are against all aspects of Australia, attackers would be seeking classified government information; commercial information with direct consequences for business and the economy; intellectual property; and the private information of Australian citizens. We are now in a situation where Cyber Security threats now impact every Australian and have become an issue not only for governments but for individuals and their online information. Many critics dismiss the Cyber Security threat to Australia as being “hype or overstated”, but that is far from the truth, this is now the new normal.. We are now seeing true sophistication in the planning and implementation of State based Cyber Security attacks that impact all sectors of Australia. We are now seeing a situation where diplomacy and political issues in the physical world are now entering the Cyber domain.
What can Australia do to both respond to these new Cyber Security threats and counteract its effects? What is needed is to update our national holistic approach to Cyber Security protection. This 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 national Cyber Safety campaign for all Australians. These challenges will be reinforced and reflected in the next Australian Cyber Security Strategy to be released in 2020. While funding is important to protect Australia, the human resource consideration is essential. Australia faces a Cyber Security skills shortage, and appropriate steps have to be taken to address the current and future skills shortages to protect Australia now and into the future.
The Australian Commonwealth Government has a duty of care to protect the Australian population in a physical and a Cyber context and the actions taken today by Scott Morrison show how serious the Australian Government is in protecting Australia in a Cyber Security context and in a world of ever-changing Cyber Security threats.
Professor Matt Warren is Director of the RMIT University Centre for Cyber Security Research & Innovation, and a Professor of Cyber Security
