‘Ill-equipped’: Millions in funding to bolster Australia’s cyber defences
More than 50,000 ‘cyber wardens’ will be trained to protect Australian businesses from cyber attacks, following high-profile breaches plaguing the likes of Optus and Medibank and their millions of customers.
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More than 50,000 “cyber wardens” will be trained under a $23m bid to protect small businesses from the sort of high-profile criminal breaches plaguing the likes of Optus and Medibank and their millions of customers.
Sixty per cent of cyber attacks are against small and medium businesses, the government said on Tuesday, costing the country more than $33bn in reported losses per year.
It said the cyber wardens program would equip 15,000 small businesses with skills to better defend themselves.
“A cybercrime attack on a small business can cause significant financial and reputational damage, putting at risk the viability of the business and the jobs it provides,” the budget papers say. “This program will be delivered by the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia.”
The government will also provide $101m over the next five years to bolster Australia’s overall cyber defences, including $46.5m to establish a “co-ordinator for cyber security”, to be supported by the National Office of Cyber Security.
Anthony Albanese in March announced the government would create the National Office for Cyber Security, to be led by a new co-ordinator, in response to breaches plaguing businesses such as Optus, Latitude Financial and Medibank. The office will co-ordinate the work of departments and agencies with responsibilities for cyber security.
The office will be staffed with at least 50 full-time equivalent workers and potentially more in the event of a “significant incident”.
The office’s establishment followed a discussion paper drafted by an expert panel advising the government on cyber security that found the federal government was “ill equipped” to respond to breaches at the magnitude of those affecting Medibank and Optus.
“The government recognises the critical importance of cyber security to maintain public trust in government institutions, businesses and individuals,” it said in the budget papers.
“The national cyber security co-ordinator has been established to strengthen Australia’s cyber resilience and strategically manage cyber security activity across government, the private sector and the community. Greater co-ordination will ensure government is better placed to protect Australians from cyber attacks by helping affected individuals and businesses recover if major incidents occur.”
The government will also spend $19.5m over the next financial year to continue work improving the security of critical infrastructure and assist owners and operators respond to significant cyber attacks.
A boost in cyber security funding had been a key request from lobby group Tech Council of Australia.
“The last 12 months have highlighted the rising nature and consequences of cyber threats and, consequently, it’s more important now than ever to invest in being able to identify and deter them and improve cyber resilience,” chief executive Kate Pounder said.
The call was echoed by Macquarie Telecom chief executive David Tudehope, who had called on the government to prioritise cyber security spending.
Originally published as ‘Ill-equipped’: Millions in funding to bolster Australia’s cyber defences
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