Australian Signals Directorate

The Reserve Bank and naval vessel manufacturer ASC have “effectively managed cyber security risks” but Australia Post has not, according to the latest report on public sector cyber resilience from federal auditor-general Grant Hehir.

The government is reportedly considering a proposal to enable the Australian Signals Directorate to access the networks of companies operating critical infrastructure to defend them against cyber attacks.

Senior Home Affairs executive Rachel Noble has been appointed to lead the Australian Cyber Security Centre, following the departure of Alastair MacGibbon at the end of May.

The concepts of “hybrid warfare” and the “grey zone” arguably build on longstanding military strategies. What is relatively new is adversaries exploiting information technology vulnerabilities to achieve an outcome.

The Australian Federal Police has this week conducted two high-profile raids on journalists who have exposed government secrets and their sources.

Alastair MacGibbon, head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre at the Australian Signals Directorate, is resigning to return to the private sector.

In an unusual piece of logic, the federal government says it will not mandate the Australian Signals Directorate’s Essential Eight information security controls for all

This address by Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate, was delivered on March 27 in Sydney, at the Lowy Institute. In the address,

AWS, the cloud computing offshoot of Jeff Bezos’ Amazon, is the latest of only six providers to have passed a series of requirements set by the Australian Signals Directorate to handle classified data.

The Australian government’s Information Security Manual has been simplified with the removal of 258 recommended cyber security controls and the addition of 63.

If you think cyber risk management is not the end of the world you are dead wrong, according to the federal government’s top adviser on these matters, Alastair MacGibbon.

Many experts believe that autonomous vehicles will be ready for public use on Australian roads by 2020. Operation of autonomous vehicles will be heavily reliant on a robust cloud system that enables
vehicles to communicate with infrastructure in order to navigate its surroundings safely. While
autonomous driving technology from an automotive standpoint exists today, infrastructure still has
some way to go in supporting this technology beyond controlled trials.

Seizing the opportunity to accelerate, reform and deliver personalised government services requires more than intent. It requires world class infrastructure backed by the accrued intelligence, wisdom and capability of global partners delivered on local ground.

Agencies have for years played on the margins of cloud, only to find choices and progress constrained amid concerns over security, sovereignty, governance and resilience. Microsoft Azure’s launch for government coupled with its official ASD rating as a ‘Protected’ level provider changes that — big time.