This appeared last week:
Major cyber attack would be worse than COVID-19
Ronald Mizen Reporter
Jul 13, 2020 – 12.00am
A major cyber offensive against Australia would be far more disruptive on people’s lives than the coronavirus pandemic and lead to widespread distrust of critical systems and services, a new report reveals.
According to AustCyber’s Australia’s Digital Trust Report 2020, a four-week digital disruption, such as a widespread cyber attack, would cost the economy up to $30 billion and 163,000 jobs.
"Full-scale cyber or digital disruption for four weeks has devastating impacts, even though digital activity continues," the report states.
"Before the onset of the COVID-19, contemplating losing 163,000 jobs in one month would likely have been unthinkable.
"However, recent events have shown the extent to which immediate and catastrophic risk is not simply possible, it can occasionally be highly probable."
Digital activity supported 22 per cent of the economy in 2019-20 and directly generated 6 per cent of the national GDP.
AustCyber chief executive Michelle Price said the coronavirus pandemic had further exposed the country to cyber attacks from nation-state actors and cyber-criminals.
“The timing of the release of this report is both critical and deliberate," Ms Price said. "The pandemic caused a rapid move to remote working and education, renewed focus on online business delivery and fast adaptation of supply chains using digital technologies.
“The quality of digitisation and its trustworthiness is now under immense pressure as the economy starts to recover from the pandemic.
More here:
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/major-cyber-attack-would-be-worse-than-covid-19-20200712-p55ba9
There is more coverage here:
Cyber experts urge Australia to develop local capability to defend against hackers
By Anthony Galloway
July 12, 2020 — 11.40pm
Cyber experts have urged the federal government to become less reliant on overseas businesses, technologies and expertise for its defences against hackers as it puts the finishing touches on the nation's new cyber security strategy.
Foreign providers are responsible for most of the cyber security products and services in Australia, with no local companies among the 15 largest software providers in the local market.
The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age can reveal that the government's panel of industry experts will hand down advice as early as this week urging it to invest in the local cyber industry to boost the nation's defences.
The government has been awaiting the report of the Industry Advisory Panel, chaired by Telstra chief executive Andrew Penn, before finishing its new four-year cyber security strategy. The industry panel's report, expected to urge the government to invest in more training, will be released in the coming weeks, according to senior government sources.
The advice comes after a sophisticated state-based actor, which Australian intelligence agencies believe to be China, launched this year a wave of cyber attacks against all levels of government, industry and political organisations.
Fergus Hanson, director of the International Cyber Policy Centre at the Australian Strategy Policy Institute, said Australia needed to increase its investment in human resources as a first step, while government procurement guidelines setting a minimum level of local content might also be needed.
Mr Hanson said the government should also clearly set out which areas of cyber security it wanted to have a sovereign capability, so the business community could invest in those areas.
"If you are going to mandate certain sectors where you're going to build up sovereign capability, then we should also set up FIRB (Foreign Investment Review Board) guidelines so you don't build up local companies and then they're bought out by foreign adversaries," he said.
The Morrison government has already flagged developing a “sovereign cloud” to hold the data of Australians to protect personal information from overseas governments and companies.
Lots more here:
There are some extra specifics here:
Cyber security ‘needs a new approach’
A government advisory group helping prepare Australia’s 2020 Cyber Security Strategy will publish its recommendations on Tuesday, The Weekend Australian can reveal.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion with the Business Council of Australia, Telstra boss Andy Penn said the panel’s report would include about 60 recommendations to the government, urging it to increase spending in Australia’s cyber security industry.
The industry group chaired by Mr Penn includes Tesla chair Robyn Denholm, former US secretary of homeland security Kirstjen Nielsen, Vocus chair Robert Mansfield, NBN Co chief security officer Darren Kane and others.
It comes weeks after Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned of a sophisticated ongoing cyber attack by a nation state, presumed to be China, affecting “all levels of government”, and just days after it was revealed Russian hackers were behind a campaign to steal data relating to a COVID-19 vaccine.
Lots more here:
and there is a specific warning here:
Local COVID-19 vaccine researchers warned of cyber attack threat
By Emma Koehn
July 17, 2020 — 11.45pm
Data security experts are warning Australian researchers working on coronavirus vaccines and treatments to remain vigilant as global hackers try to access their work.
Industry insiders said Australia's world-leading research made it a target for state and non-state actors, with experts warning hackers aren't just looking for vaccine and treatment blueprints, but also for information about supply chain logistics, including plans for vaccine production and information on strategies for procuring supply.
"Researchers are on the front lines: they will be targeted because they are the ones developing new ideas, new capabilities and, in a pandemic, the possible solution," said Professor Lesley Seebeck, chief executive of the Cyber Institute at the Australian National University.
"Australia has research and trials underway that will be of interest to bad actors, both state and non-state."
The warnings come as the US, UK and Canada issued statements on Thursday accusing Russian intelligence of launching cyber attacks on companies working on COVID-19 projects.
More here:
So there is a lot going on and the risks, and potential costs, are really on the rise. Seems like quality specialist training in the area my be a very sensible career choice – despite AI doing an increasing amount of the grunt work!
David.
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