Cyber Maturity in the Asia Pacific Region 2017

The Cyber Maturity in the Asia–Pacific Region report is the flagship annual publication of the ASPI International Cyber Policy Centre.

This report assesses the national approach of Asia–Pacific countries to the challenges and opportunities of cyberspace, taking a holistic approach that assesses governance and legislation, law enforcement, military capacity and policy involvement, and business and social engagement in cyber policy and security issues.

The 2017 report is the fourth annual cyber maturity report. It covers 25 countries and includes assessment of Taiwan and Vanuatu for the first time.

The United States continues its leadership of the country rankings and although the transition to the Trump administration caused a pause while cyber policy was reviewed, the US military is recognising the importance of cyber capability and elevating US Cyber Command to a unified combatant command to give it increased independence and broader authorities.

Australia has moved up in our rankings from fourth to equal second on the back of continued investment in governance reform and implementation of the 2016 Cyber Security Strategy. Australia’s first International Cyber Engagement Strategy was released and the 2017 Independent Intelligence review made a number of recommendations that strengthen Australia’s cyber security posture – this includes broadening the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s (ACSC) mandate as a national cyber security authority and clarifying ministerial responsibility for cyber security and the ACSC,.

Japan (equal second with Australia), Singapore, and South Korea round out a very close top five countries. All countries in this leading group have improved their overall cyber maturity although very tight margins have seen some change in rankings: Australian and Japan moving up to equal second and Singapore and South Korea dropping to fourth and fifth.

Taiwan and Vanuatu both made strong initial entries into the Cyber Maturity Report. Taiwan ranked ninth, just behind China, hampered by difficulties with international engagement, while Vanuatu came seventeenth, best of the Pacific islands.

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Cyber Security: Are we doing enough?

The Australian Cyber Security Centre released their Annual Threat Report on Tuesday.

It paints a bleak picture for Australian Cyber Security in both the public and private sectors.

The Government insists this is not a serious issue but some experts argue we still have a long way to go to keep Australia safe.

In this interview, Fergus Hanson talks with Fran Kelly of ABC Radio National. 

Massive ‘Alf’ military data breach prompts demands to reveal state hackers

Australia should “name and shame” countries behind state-sponsored hacking to build up international pressure against the practice, a cyber-security expert has said in the wake of the major breach of a defence subcontractor.

Fergus Hanson speaks to David Wroe and Michael Koziol of the Sydney Morning Herald.

Full story: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/massive-alf-military-data-breach-prompts-demands-to-reveal-state-hackers-20171012-gyzrsq

Hacked Defence contractor hadn’t changed its passwords from their default

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Fergus Hanson speaking on the ABC 7:30 report about the recent cyber incident which saw a Defence contractor hacked.

Video here: http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/hacked-defence-contractor-had-changed-its/9045122

North Korean Hack of U.S. War Plans Shows Off Cyber Skills

Fergus Hanson interviewed by Bloomberg Technology on the recent North Korean cyber hacks.

There is no doubt that they are using their capability in creative ways, said Fergus Hanson, head of the International Cyber Policy Centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra.

“Stealing battle plans is obviously a good idea from a military point of view and they’re also monetizing their capability to get around sanctions.”

Full report at Bloomberg Technology.

It’s a cat and mouse game” – what will be the consequences of a driver’s licence database?

The potential uses of a national driver’s licence database could be wide-ranging and a cause for concern, according to the Head of International Cyber Policy for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Fergus Hanson.

The Prime Minister announced plans for a national driver’s licence database last week at the Council of the Australian Governments. It was determined that this database would be the best way to combat terrorism, and all state leaders have agreed. Mr Hanson speaks with Brian Carlton about some of the situations the database could be used for, how it may fail, and if it could be susceptible to hackers. “No data is completely safe,” says Mr Hanson.

Source: https://www.tasmaniatalks.com.au/the-show/21932-it-s-a-cat-and-mouse-game-what-will-be-the-consequences-of-a-driver-s-licence-database
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Federal Government launches three year cyber strategy

The Australian Government is warning that the internet risks becoming a “dark space”, if there are not strict rules in place to govern how it is used.

The Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, has today launched the Government’s International Cyber Engagement Strategy, outlining its cyber affairs agenda over the next three years.

In this interview, Thomas Oriti of the ABC’s “The World Today” program talks to Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Fergus Hanson. 

http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/worldtoday/federal-government-launches-three-year-cyber-strategy/9014742

Australia’s cyberspace policy

Australia is renewing its push for new rules governing how nations deal with each other in cyberspace.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has launched the government’s three-year International Cyber Engagement Strategy.

In this video, Beverley O’Connor of ABC’s “The World” program speaks to Fergus Hanson, head of the International Cyber Policy Centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/programs/the-world/2017-10-04/australia-cyberspace-policy/9016844

Experts question Malcolm Turnbull’s terror crackdown on encrypted messages

Experts have warned Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s bid to force social media companies to give access to encrypted messages for terror investigations is unrealistic with the pace and breadth of technological change making it too hard for law enforcement to keep up.

Fergus Hanson speaks with Andrew Tillett

Full article here: http://www.afr.com/news/experts-question-malcolm-turnbulls-terror-crackdown-on-encrypted-messages-20170626-gwyfg3#ixzz4yZRjOTbf

Securing Democracy in the Digital Age

The proliferation of cyberspace and rise of social media have enriched and strengthened the application of democratic governance.

Technological developments have expedited the international flow of information, improved freedom of speech in many areas of the world, and increased the quality of interaction, accountability and service delivery from democratic governments to their citizens. But these benefits must be balanced against a longstanding vulnerability of democracy to manipulation that cyberspace has enhanced in both scope and scale.

The 2016 US presidential election demonstrated the increasingly complex cyber and information environment in which democracies are operating. Using US case study illustrations, this report offers a conceptual framework by which to understand how cybersecurity and information security techniques can be used to compromise a modern-day election.

The report places this case study in its historical context and outlines emerging approaches to this new normal of election interference before identifying associated policy considerations for democracies.