Australia has reached a “tipping point” in cybersecurity “where the trajectory of cyber responses is being rapidly outpaced by the evolving threat”, according to a report written by the Kokoda Foundation and obtained by The Australian newspaper.
"A large part of the Australian population does not comprehend the scale of the growing cyber threat, nor the potential impact of that threat on personal and national wellbeing. That lack of understanding, and therefore commitment to addressing that threat, is a fundamental weakness in the individual and collective security of Australians”, said the report, which was based on interviews with cybersecurity experts in the government and industry.
The report, which is due out next month, warns that not enough is being done to counter the cybersecurity threat and that Australia lacks a comprehensive government-led long-term national cybersecurity strategy. The report, entitled Optimising Australia's Response to the Cyber Challenge, recommends that a national security adviser be appointed to serve as the lead for cybersecurity issues across the government and that new computer systems be required to include security measures, such as firewalls and anti-virus software.
In response to the report, Defence, Science, and Personnel Minister Warren Snowdon said that the government is taking the cybersecurity threat seriously. He cited the country’s national cybersecurity initiative and the establishment of the Cyber Security Operations Centre, which coordinates responses to cyber events, as evidence of the government's committment to address cybersecurity issues.