Emmanuel Macron to sign pact targeting cyber war

Australia and France are today expected to strike a pact to combat cyber warfare.

Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull flanking France’s President Emmanuel Macron at the Sydney Opera House last night. Picture: AFP

Australia and France are today expected to strike a pact to combat cyber warfare as the West ­escalates its response to alleged Russian involvement in recent global attacks and defends against emerging threats to military and civilian networks.

The agreement, expected to be finalised today, would be the first operational agreement on cyber security to be struck with a non-member of the Five Eyes intelligence network, and follows a similar arrangement made with Britain two weeks ago.

A senior intelligence source said the deal could be signed as early as today, with French President Emmanuel Macron arriving in Sydney last night ahead of a three-day official visit.

The significance, according to an intelligence source, would be that cyber agencies with offensive capability, specifically the Australian Signals Directorate, could partner with French agencies in tactical operability.

Malcolm Turnbull last night hosted a dinner for Mr Macron at the Sydney Opera House ahead of official bilateral meetings today during which, according to the source, the cyber pact is to be discussed.

The government would not confirm whether the proposed cyber-security agreement would be signed today but the source said it would be closely aligned with the British agreement.

Australia and Britain agreed to a deeper operational alliance on cyber security following the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting two weeks ago that secured 53 signatory countries to a cyber declaration.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in Sydney last night, met by ambassador to Australia, Christophe Penot, right. Picture: AAP

A statement at the time of the British agreement said no country alone could deal with the emerging threats and denounced Russia and North Korea’s use of malicious cyber attacks.

“We will deepen co-ordination on mitigation strategies against both advanced persistent threats and the widespread commodity hacking that affects the economic prosperity of our countries including through the development and implementation of automated technical measures such as ­active cyber defence,” it said.

“Our operational agencies, ­including the Australian Signals Directorate and Government Communications Headquarters and the Australian Cyber Security Centre and UK National Cyber Security Centre, will ­continue to work closely together, taking practical measures to counter mal­icious cyber activity.

“We will share our respective areas of strength and improvement, and pilot new tactics, techniques and capabilities. We will continue to call out unacceptable behaviour as we did in February condemning Russia’s use of the NotPetya malware to attack critical infrastructure and businesses, and in December 2017 when we condemned North Korean actors’ use of WannaCry ransomware to attack businesses and public institutions around the world.”

Mr Turnbull sought to elevate cyber security as a key national sec­urity priority early in his leadership, having signed a co-operative agreement with former US president Barack Obama in 2016. He has since described it as the “new frontier of warfare”.

While rules-based agreements exist with other countries, including an unofficial non-hacking agreement between China and Australia, a French operational collaboration would be a first outside the Five Eyes member countries of the US, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Mr Turnbull and Mr Macron were to meet two weeks ago during the Prime Minister’s visit to France to commemorate Anzac Day, but the French leader was called to Washington for a meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Mr Macron and Mr Turnbull have become close allies since the latter was offered a lift on the presidential plane from Hamburg to Paris after last year’s G20 summit.