PM in cyber defence push with Britain’s MI6

Scott Morrison has warned that cyber attacks are a constant threat and Australians must understand cyber security is as ‘important as the locks on the front door’

Scott Morrison says ‘cyber security is as important as the locks on the front door. In fact, probably more’. Picture: Adam Taylor

Scott Morrison has warned that cyber attacks are a constant threat and that Australians must understand cyber security is as “important as the locks on the front door”, after meeting with British intelligence chiefs in London last week.

Amid the rising global threat landscape – fanned by technological advances and nations including Russia and China ramping-up cyber operations – the Prime Minister met with MI6 officials to better understand co-operation between Australian and British security agencies.

“Australia has a highly developed capability that is greatly respected by our partners and these meetings are an opportunity to ensure that’s as connected up as possible,” Mr Morrison told The Australian.

“We look to but don’t leave it to anyone. We ensure that we have our own capability, which adds value, and these meetings are an important opportunity for me to talk to the people who are doing this between our countries and just being clear in my own mind that we’re doing what we need to do, that we’re making our contribution, that it’s effective and that if there’s anything more that I need to know to make that more effective then I can get that first-hand.”

A year since publicly revealing Australian governments, companies, political groups, essential services providers and infrastructure operators were being targeted by a “sophisticated state-based cyber actor”, Mr Morrison said the threat remained “constant”.

“I said at that time and what was very useful following that press conference is it really elevated awareness because many of our best offences against these things, particularly when its beyond government systems, is people need to realise that is the nature of the world,” he said.

At the G7 and NATO summits last week, US President Joe Biden put cyber at the top of the global security agenda, after attacks on US companies, government agencies and critical infrastructure.

Australian hospital operators, parliaments, logistical firms and other businesses have been hit by cyber attacks in the past year.

Mr Morrison said it was important to remember it was “not always state actors that are doing this, criminals are doing it”.

“Criminals, gangs and organised crime are very sophisticated and so are terrorists. There are many reasons why people would do this, not all of them involve state actors,” he said.

“We’ve highlighted this as part of a workforce and skills strategy as well. People in companies, people working in the IT sectors of hospitals and any sort of public activity and particularly corporations who want to ensure that they can keep hold of their IP and all of these sorts of things.

“Cyber security is as important as the locks on the front door. In fact, probably more.”

The G7 communique, released following the three-day summit in Cornwall, called on all states to urgently identify and disrupt ransomware criminal networks operating within their borders.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton, who has responsibility for the Australian Signals Directorate and Australian Cyber Security Centre, said recent ransomware strikes illustrated the threat level internationally and domestically.

“Cybercriminals and ransomware gangs are on notice. Australia’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies are working alongside our international partners to tackle the scourge of ransomware,” Mr Dutton said.

The ACSC last week released a guide to help businesses combat ransomware as national security agencies continued to issue warnings that the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the threat level for Australians online.