Address on Cyber Security and threats to Australian Elections given by Tom Uren at the Australian Parliament House research group meeting.
Video here: https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/Vis/vis1819/Cybersecurity .
The Hon Christopher Pyne, Minister for Defence Industry, today launched the new Defence Industrial Capability plan.
The plan outlines the opportunities for Australian industry to engage with the Government and strengthen Australia’s defence capabilities through the development of native industrial capability, infrastructure and innovation.
A video of the launch can be viewed here.
The new report by the International Cyber Policy Centre, Australia’s Offensive Cyber Capability, has caught the imagination of the Australian cyber community and is being widely reported and commented on.
Some of the media coverage is listed here;
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/boost-australia-s-cyber-capability-report
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australia-urged-to-invest-more-to-counter-cyberattacks
https://securitybrief.com.au/story/aspi-demystifies-australias-offensive-cyber-capabilities/
https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2018/clarity-for-australia-s-cyber-capabilities.html
https://www.zdnet.com/article/cyber-dam-busters-could-give-australias-military-an-asymmetric-edge/
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/australias-offensive-cyber-capability/
Media are invited to attend a special event featuring former US top cyber adviser Chris Painter hosted by ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre (ICPC) on the future of cyberspace and emerging technologies. Question our panel on some of the world’s pressing global issues including the impact of emerging tech on national security, cyber threats to our election process, the changing nature of cyber-conflict and the rise of censorship and strict information control in the Asia-Pacific.
Panel:
• Chris Painter, former US State Department Coordinator for Cyber Issues and White House Senior Director for Cybersecurity Policy;
• Dr Tobias Feakin, Australian Ambassador for Cyber Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
• Professor Elanor Huntington, Dean, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Australian National University
• Fergus Hanson, Head of the International Cyber Policy Centre (chair)
Date: 28 February 2018
Time: 1630 – 1730
Venue: ASPI, Level 2, 40 Macquarie St Barton Canberra
A canapes and drinks reception will conclude the event. Chris Painter is in Australia as the inaugural distinguished fellow at ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre (ICPC). His visit is made possible thanks to the generous support of DFAT’s Cyber Affairs Special Visits Program, Macquarie Telecom Group and ICPC core sponsors
To register your attendance please contact:
Renee Jones, Events and Communications Manager, ASPI
E: reneejones@aspi.org.au
M: 0400 424 323
Thursday 22 February 1000 – 1130 (GMT-8): Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and senior Australian officials met with Kirstjen Nielsen, US Secretary of Homeland Security, Admiral Michael S. Rogers, US Navy, Commander, US Cyber Command, Director, National Security Agency, Chief, Central Security Service, senior US Government officials and industry and think-tank cyber-security experts. The high-level roundtable was hosted by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and the Center for Strategic and International Studies at CSIS Headquarters in Washington D.C.
Discussion focused on how to deter and respond to unacceptable behavior in cyberspace – particularly by states and their proxies – and how to strengthen coordination between government and the private sector. The outcomes will frame the agenda for the second 1.5 Track Australia-United States Cyber Security Dialogue to be held in April 2018.
“Prime Minister Turnbull is demonstrating real leadership to address the great challenges of cyber security. CSIS is proud to partner with the Australian Government on such a crucial endeavor,” said John Hamre, President and CEO of CSIS.
“We’re delighted Prime Minister Turnbull was again able to participate in the US-Australia 1.5 track cyber dialogue”, the Head of the ASPI International Cyber Policy Centre Fergus Hanson said. “Having the top decision makers in the same room discussing the most pressing cyber challenges means we can get straight to the big issues.”
“Cooperation with likeminded countries is the best way to improve cybersecurity, and cooperation between the U.S. and Australia is crucial for security in the Asia Pacific region,” said James A. Lewis, Senior Vice President at CSIS.
For more information regarding the roundtable or 1.5 Track Australia-United States Cyber Security Dialogue please contact:
Renee Jones, Events and Communications Manager, Australian Strategic Policy Institute
E: reneejones@aspi.org.au
P: +61 400 424 323
H. Andrew Schwartz, Chief Communications Officer, Center for Strategic and International Studies
E: aschwartz@csis.org
P: 202 775 3242
In this roundtable ASPI brings experts in international affairs and cyber affairs from think-tanks, research institutes and universities from across the ASEAN region together with representatives of ASEAN and ARF Member States, Industry and other non-governmental organisations.
This activity is part of ASEAN-Australia Week, a lead-in event to the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit and is supported by the Australia-ASEAN Council. See: http://dfat.gov.au/people-to-people/foundations-councils-institutes/australia-asean-council/grants/grantees/Pages/practical-futures-for-cyber-confidence-building-in-the-asean-region.aspx
The aim of the event is to discuss ways to move forward with confidence-building measures in cyberspace in our region. The end result is a set of practical policy recommendations that will be presented to the Summit delegations.
Date: 15 March
Time: 1000 – 1500
Venue: International Convention Centre Sydney
This is an invitation-only event. Should you wish to attend, please contact Bart Hogeveen
Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s International Cyber Policy Centre (ICPC) is pleased to announce Chris Painter – former State Department Coordinator for Cyber issues and former White House Senior Director for Cybersecurity Policy – as its inaugural distinguished cyber fellow for 2018.
Chris has been on the vanguard of US and international cyber issues for over 25 years – first as a leading federal prosecutor of some of the most high-profile cybercrime cases in the country, then as a senior official at the Department of Justice, the FBI, the National Security Council and finally as the world’s first top cyber diplomat at the State Department.
“I am very happy to come back to Australia and spend time with my friends at ASPI’s ICPC and my many friends and colleagues in government, business and civil society. Australia has always been a strong partner on cyber policy and combatting cyber threats. As technical and policy threats increase in cyberspace it is imperative that we work together to promote an open and secure cyberspace, promote stability in cyberspace, and find new ways to deter bad actors,” Chris Painter said.
“Chris has made an extraordinary contribution to the world of cyberspace and national security and we’re delighted to host him at ASPI. Chris’s research at the centre will look at some of the big strategic issues in cyber affairs,” Head of ICPC Fergus Hanson said.
Chris will be in Australia from the 20th Feb until the 10th March. He will participate in a range of meetings, roundtables and events including the ASPI Cyber Masterclass on 28 February. Watch our event page and @ASPI_ICPC for more information. For media enquiries please contact reneejones@aspi.org.au / 0400 424 323
Chris’s visit is made possible thanks to the generous support of DFAT’s Cyber Affairs Special Visits Program, Macquarie Telecom Group and ICPC core sponsors.
Danielle Cave, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said that Twitter is playing an increasingly important role in open-source intelligence, the collection of sensitive information from publicly available sources. Researchers from think tanks, nongovernmental organizations and the corporate sector who are at the cutting edge of cybersecurity work gravitate to the platform to exchange information, she said.
Read the full story here.
According to Tom Uren, cyber security expert from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s ‘International Cyber Policy Centre’, the discovery revealed potentially unknown bases. “It’s one thing to be able to see people walking in and out of offices in Canberra…it’s another thing to know where people run, where they go into buildings, and what buildings are important.” He described the map as piece of a puzzle “bad actors would try and use to further their ends”. “Anything that gives you a pattern of life can be used against you by bad actors. It makes it easier, and when you are making it easier for your opposition, that’s never a great thing.”
Check out the interview here.