SA on the frontline of nation’s cybersecurity capabilities
On the frontline: South Australia is leading the way in defence across the deep dark web to the far reaches of space from Lot Fourteen
At Lot Fourteen, at the north-east end of the Adelaide CBD, global companies, research institutions and high-growth startups can be found developing innovative solutions and driving the growth of Australia’s cyber industry.
With tenants such as the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre (Aus3C), DTEX, CyberOps, MITRE and Cisco, the innovation district is leading the charge on cybersecurity.
“Home to the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre, Lot Fourteen is central to building South Australia’s cyber capability, providing a place where startups, research institutions, and established companies can innovate and collaborate,” Lot Fourteen state project lead at the Department of the Premier and Cabinet Diane Dixon says.
“Cybersecurity is projected to be a significant source of economic growth, with Australia expected to spend approximately $15-20 billion to enhance cyber domain capabilities.”
Established five years ago through a $10 million investment by the state government, Aus3C brings together experts, organisations and cutting-edge resources to address the ever-evolving challenges of cybersecurity.
Chief executive Guy Roberts says the centre is a collaboration between private and public sectors and academia, with the aim of raising the bar of cybersecurity and cyber preparedness.
Recently, Aus3C ran two key events, Cyber Battle and NATO Locked Shields, which are focused on strengthening both Australia’s future and current cybersecurity workforces.
The three-stage Cyber Battle is designed to “bring tertiary students out of their lecture theatres and into the real and digital worlds, to skill them up and give them a taste” for what a career in cybersecurity would look like, Roberts says.
Aus3C also hosted Australia’s contribution to NATO Locked Shields at its Cyber Range, a state-of-the-art facility where organisations and experts are able to simulate and practise their responses to cyber attacks.
Running over four days, Locked Shields tested the resilience, coordination, and technical capabilities of cyber defenders from around the world using thousands of highly realistic simulated scenarios.
Exercises like this are critical, Roberts says, as wars are being won and lost as a result of digital connectivity.
One emerging threat, he says, is insider risk, where an organisation is hacked from within.
Data security company DTEX, also located on Lot Fourteen, is laser-focused on detecting insider risks.
DTEX co-founder and president Mohan Koo says they are helping companies identify possible insider threats before a breach occurs.
“Most cybersecurity companies have been focused on when does the data get stolen or when does it get leaked or when does a breach happen? Why aren’t we focusing on detecting the behaviours that give us an early warning that something bad is going to happen?”
“At DTEX we make sure the employees of those organisations that have access to data are doing the right things with that data, and when it looks like someone is using or accessing the data in a way that they shouldn’t be, we’re able to understand the intent,” he says.
When it comes to insider risks, DTEX has been particularly focused on the threats coming from North Korea’s covert cyber workforce.
“Working in collaboration across the ecosystem and with our customers, we have really been deeply investigating North Korean infiltrations and the techniques they use, and how those techniques are evolving.”
Koo says Australia has an opportunity to get “left of boom”, before the problem becomes as pervasive here as it is in the US.
The security of Australia’s future is dependent on having cyber resilient capabilities, says Roberts.
“Every situation, in every interaction, every day, an organisation and an individual relies on having a cybersecure environment, so the importance of it can’t be understated.”
Building cyber resilience
IT and business consulting firm CGI is helping build cyber resilience in everyday Australians through its Cyber Escape experience.
CGI key account manager Ed Andrews said the Cyber Escape, which takes place in a 40-foot fitted-out shipping container being taken around Australia gives people an immersive and gamified experience that teaches them about cybersecurity.
“Cybersecurity is one of the biggest threats that we have as individuals and as organisations in today’s contemporary world,” Andrews says.
“We wanted to replace that boring cyber awareness training with something that’s fun and engaging that can actually allow organisations to move the needle in terms of how people think about cyber security.
“Being able to do it in a way that allows you to reduce your risk as much as reasonably practicable will provide you with more personal security and better protect any business that you work for.”
Strategy key to Saber mission
The Mission Control Centre operated by Australian company Saber Astronautics stands as the cornerstone of Australia’s expanding space capabilities.
Co-located with the Australian Space Agency at Adelaide’s Lot Fourteen district, this facility serves commercial, government and defence space operators to control satellites and provide safety while accelerating development of Australian space technology.
In 2023, the centre welcomed the 1 Space Surveillance Unit Commercial Data Mission Centre, which has since expanded its footprint at Lot Fourteen.
This integration brings together personnel from all three military branches.
Saber Astronautics chief executive officer Dr Jason Held says this integration is a strategic move. “Each service brings unique doctrinal insight tying space efforts directly to the warfighter needs,” he says.
What sets the centre apart, he says, is its sophisticated technology stack.
“Saber’s tools, in particular the Space Cockpit Battle Management System, allows cross-domain information from Australian and US application providers,” Dr Held says.
“Consider the benefit of merging Earth Observation data with Space Domain Awareness data – the military operator can see how actions in space affect their mission on ground and at sea.”
The Centre’s collaboration with Defence Space Command has yielded substantial advantages.
Dr Held says that while not currently under direct ADF contract, Saber has delivered critical support through programs such as the US Space Command’s Joint Commercial Operations program and the Sprint Advanced Concept Training.
“These were live-fire wargames run by US Space Command, where Saber ran the Pacific as their representatives,” he says.
As the Responsive Space Operations Centre (RSOC), the facility provides vital space domain awareness services including object tracking and manoeuvre detection.
Besides military operations, the centre has trained more than 300 Australian space engineers and operators, bridging the gap between Australia’s universities and research and development with live operational experience.
South Australia’s position as the “Defence and Space State” creates an ideal environment for these capabilities.
“With access to Defence Space Command, local primes, universities and emerging start-ups, Adelaide is a natural home for Saber’s RSOC,” Dr Held says.
Army veteran’s new direction
Like many young people looking for direction, Taylor Cowell decided to join the Australian Army at 18.
A member of the 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in South Australia, he specialised as a reconnaissance soldier, a highly trained role where he was tasked with “gathering intelligence on enemy operations to support command and decision making”.
Cowell thought he was going to be a career soldier until, at 25, a doctor told him he was being medically discharged, and he quickly had to pivot.
Through defence force contacts, he was offered a role at the Australian Embassy in Afghanistan, where he worked for four and a half years before heading home.
“That was the next challenge, after spending so long overseas, to find employment in the workforce,” he says.
He decided to study a Bachelor of Project Management at the University of Adelaide, while working roles in government, consulting and the defence industry, before taking up a position at Saab Australia.
Now a project manager at Saab Australia, Cowell also serves as the deputy chair of the South Australian Veterans’ Advisory Council and chair of Saab Australia’s Veteran Advisory Committee.
Through this he aims to change the narrative from veterans “being broken to thriving”, remove barriers to education and help create pathways to meaningful employment.
“The biggest challenge is that change in purpose and identity and finding how you contribute to something bigger than yourself again,” he says. “I think that’s what’s drawn me to the defence industry and Saab.
“After transitioning, the defence industry wasn’t at the top of my list, but after trying different things, I realised it’s a natural fit. You have a unique advantage after leaving the defence force to work in the defence industry.”
Cowell credits veteran networks like the South Australian Veteran Employer Network for helping him get to where he is today.
SAVEN assists veterans with getting a foot in the door through networking events, education, mentoring and guidance.
“For employers, when we’re in a period of critical skill shortages, this is an opportunity to take people out of the defence force who have a strong skill set, as well as values, and bring them into your business where they can hit the ground running.”
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