Quoting from P. S. News. Edition Number 588. Updated Tuesday 04 July 2017. http://www.psnews.com.au/aps/558/news/cyber-signal-sent-to-signals-agency?utm_source=aps558&utm_medium=email&utm_content=news1&utm_campaign=newsletter_aps
Cyber signal sent to signals agency
The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) has been ordered to direct its cybersecurity capabilities to protect the Australian community against online criminal attacks from overseas.
In a joint directive from the Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, ASD has been asked to use its offensive skills to boost the nation’s crime-fighting arsenal and join in the broader strategy of preventing and shutting down safe-havens for offshore cyber criminals.
The Ministers said they gave the direction due to the growing cost of cybercrime to the Australian economy which was “conservatively estimated” at $1 billion a year.
“Since its inception at the end of 2014, there have been over 114,000 reports of cybercrime registered with the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network (ACORN),” the Ministers said.
“Notably 23,700 of these have been reported over the last six months, highlighting a growing occurrence of cyber-criminal activity.”
ASD to protect online community
They said that ASD’s capability was currently used to help target, disrupt and defeat terrorist organisations such as ISIS and was subject to stringent legal oversight.
“Cyber criminals continue to adapt and evolve their methods and tactics, increasingly employing new methods to gain access to a victim and extort funds,” the Ministers said.
“As their level of sophistication has improved, cyber criminals are increasingly targeting businesses directly.”
They said the law enforcement response should not just be defensive.
“We must take the fight to the criminals.”
The Ministers said the Government would target criminals wherever they sought to hurt Australian citizens but every Australian had a role to play in ensuring cyber security.
“Governments, business and individuals must be proactive about protecting themselves online by following best practice when it comes to cyber security,” they said.
“We must work together to share threat information and learn from each other about the online threats that seek to do us harm.”
Comments
Great idea, use defence capabilities to defeat crime.