RMIT expert available for comment on cyber security and the Census
An expert from RMIT University is available to talk to media about cyber security and the upcoming Census.
Professor Matt Warren (0432 745 171 or matthew.warren2@rmit.edu.au)
Topics: 2021 census and cyber security, information security, cyber warfare, critical infrastructure protection, denial of service attacks
“Australia’s first online Census in 2016 was a disaster. The Census website was hit with a number of distributed denial of service attacks on day one followed by a hardware failure, the website being taken offline for 40 hours and global headlines.
“A lot changes online in five years. Australia is facing new geo-political issues and new cyber challenges and this is the environment for the upcoming Census.
“Cyber attackers will look at weaknesses in the online Census system, with co-ordinated distributed denial of service attacks or cyber attacks being the prize.
“Cyber attackers target big projects and initiatives like the Census to embarrass the Australian Government, implying it can’t manage key high-profile systems.
“The Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Australian Government knows what is coming and would have built security and resilience into the Census system to protect against potential attacks.
“The stakes are high and only time will tell what happens on Census night and if the 2021 Census will become another global headline.”
Professor Matthew (Matt) Warren is the Director of the RMIT University Centre for Cyber Security Research. He is a researcher in the areas of cyber security and computer ethics and a go-to media expert on these topics.
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For interviews: Professor Matt Warren 0432 745 171
For general media enquiries, please contact RMIT Communications: 0439 704 077 or news@rmit.edu.au
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