DDoS and dingoes: Australia to bolster cyber-defences with 500 hackers amid China spat
- Reference: 1593524945
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/06/30/australia_cyber_defence_fund/
- Source link:
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced this morning that the government would funnel the money from existing defence funding over the next decade to bolster the capabilities of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) and the Australian Cybersecurity Centre (ACSC).
The move comes after Morrison revealed last week that the nation's government, businesses and political organisations were [1]under attack from a sophisticated "state-based" hacker .
Although the PM did not drop any names, it is widely believed that Chinese agents were behind the attack.
"The federal government's top priority is protecting our nation's economy, national security and sovereignty. Malicious cyber activity undermines that," Morrison said in a statement.
"My government's record investment in our nation's cybersecurity will help ensure we have the tools and capabilities we need to fight back and keep Australians safe."
The new spend will enable the Cyber Enhanced Situational Awareness and Response unit, or CESAR, to identify more cyber threats, disrupt more foreign cyber criminals, and build more partnerships between industry and government.
Headlining the package is AU$470m to create 500 new jobs within the ASD, an 1,800-strong agency responsible for thwarting cyber attacks. A further AU$278m will go towards helping the agency to tackle offshore cybercrime; expand its intelligence capabilities; and develop a national situational awareness system to respond to threats on a national scale.
Details on the remaining AU$500m are expected with the government's forthcoming 2020 Cybersecurity Strategy. The strategy comes as part of a review of the Australian Defence Force structure, which authorities commissioned after tensions between China and the US escalated last year. ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/19/australia_state_cyberattack/
[2] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Sophisticated hackers, ...assorted super-talented weirdos and misfits with odd skills?
I wonder which class of hacker tried to hack them? ... Captain Scarlet
Prime timely, Captain Scarlet, would extraordinarily render most all cyber defence forces both impotent and facing novel threats probably never but certainly hardly ever before encountered. And as treats which are heavenly to deploy and employ, another exciting experience to enjoy .... or do vain battle against in Centres of Virtual Command with Remote Practically Autonomous Control.
The first and formative treat is always real good whilst the latter is always delivering content which is usually awfully bad. The fit and proper choice to make and further support there, and again and again far into the future, is surely one of those Absolute No-Brainers which most everything and everyone sees and knows? Good always trumps bad. Even the devils in hell know that as a simple irrefutable fact.
And how, and why, would anyone/anything attack that knowing/realising defences are easily defeated and can be overwhelmingly destroyed/annihilated/obliterated?
Would insane madness be a valid excuse and possible reason to claim in defence as a mitigating circumstance? And whenever such is the only possible truth, what is an appropriate action to ensure guaranteed prevention of a similarly mitigated circumstance/series of crazy events?
> build more partnerships between industry and government
Until Scotty boy realises the laws of mathematics do trump the laws of Oz I don't see working out.
Sophisticated hacker
That can mean anything these days, from people who open a spreadsheet of reused usernames and passwords to actual proper hackers.
I wonder which class of hacker tried to hack them?