Scientific Library
Related Articles
news, federal policy, cybersecurity, alastair macgibbon, national security, cybercx, acsc, cyber warfare, adf, defense
Cyber warfare was once science fiction, but it is now one of the biggest threats to Australia’s defense forces, a former national security adviser has warned. Former director of Australia’s Cyber Security Center, Alastair MacGibbon, who is now CyberCX’s chief strategy officer, believes cyberwarfare will play an important role in future conflicts around the world. Sometimes called the fifth realm, after land, sea, air and space, cyber realm warfare has progressed so far, now it reflects science fiction, he said. “Submarines prevented from leaving port, or planes turned in the air, or tanks stopped in their tracks or turned against the force that thought they possessed them,” said Mr. MacGibbon. “We are spending a lot of money and effort trying to connect our soldiers, sailors, airmen and women to technology.” But these vulnerabilities and this technology will be exploited by the enemy. This is obvious because we will want to do exactly the same things to them. “It sounds like science fiction to people, but it is reality.” Former Prime Minister cyber adviser Malcolm Turnbull said threats were on the rise and government agencies, including Defense, needed to keep pace with the changing landscape. “I describe it as chasing a curve, right? Anytime you think you have your eyes fixed on the horizon, the horizon moves with you,” he said. “Threat actors are more active, what you’re trying to protect is more complex, and the consequences of failure are increasing day by day as we connect more.” You constantly feel like you’re trying to catch up. READ MORE: Adding to the pressure on units within Defense, MacGibbon said the cyber and technology divide between Western countries and developing countries had narrowed dramatically over the past 20 years. with strong governance rules surrounding the ethics of using offensive cyber methods. “For a long time, the West saw itself as the dominant technological force. I just don’t believe that is the case now,” did he declare. “Our hope, of course, is that we are [still] technologically and cyber-wise, more advanced than our enemy. With a constantly and rapidly evolving threat, the former cyber tsar wants government agencies and businesses to not only be aware of threats and tick the boxes required for cyber compliance, but to actively consider cybersecurity. at each step. “You can be compliant, but not necessarily safe,” he said. He compared it to a scenario that many are familiar with – COVID is spreading among a predominantly vaccinated population. Just because a person is vaccinated “It doesn’t matter what you spend and how much you do, there are always degrees of insecurity,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean you aren’t doing anything.”[Cyber security] cannot … be handled by a few technical people in a corner somewhere. “Once we get it on board, we’ll deal with it in a much more rational way.” Our reporters work hard to provide local and up-to-date news to the community. Here’s how you can continue to access our trusted content:
/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/8WgcxeQ6swJGymJT6BMGEL/ac2c497c-0654-43f9-8ab0-bc65d6d09567.jpg/r2_148_4160_2497_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
Cyber warfare was once science fiction, but it is now one of the biggest threats to Australia’s defense forces, a former national security adviser has warned.
Former director of Australia’s Cyber Security Center, Alastair MacGibbon, who is now CyberCX’s chief strategy officer, believes cyberwarfare will play an important role in future conflicts around the world.
“Submarines prevented from leaving port, or planes turned in the air, or tanks stopped in their tracks or turned against the force that thought they possessed them,” said Mr. MacGibbon.
“We are spending a lot of money and effort trying to connect our soldiers, sailors, airmen and women to technology.
“But these vulnerabilities and this technology will be exploited by the enemy. It’s obvious because we will want to do the exact same things to them.
“It sounds like science fiction to people, but it is reality.”
“I describe it as chasing a curve, right? Anytime you think you have your eyes fixed on the horizon, the horizon moves with you,” he said.
“Threat actors are more active, what you’re trying to protect is more complex, and the consequences of failure are increasing day by day as we connect more.
“You constantly feel like you are trying to catch up.”
Adding to the pressure on units within Defense, MacGibbon said the cyber and technology divide between Western countries and developing countries had narrowed significantly over the past 20 years.
This resulted in a leveling of the cyber battlefield, but he warned that some countries did not adhere to strict governance rules surrounding the ethics of using offensive cyber methods.
“For a long time, the West saw itself as the dominant technological force. I just don’t think it is now,” he said.
“Our hope, of course, is that we [still] technologically and cyber-wise, more advanced than our enemy. “
Faced with a constantly and rapidly evolving threat, the former cyber tsar wanted government agencies and businesses to not only be aware of threats and tick the boxes required for cyber compliance, but to actively consider cybersecurity to each step.
“You can be compliant, but not necessarily safe,” he said.
He compared it to a scenario that many are familiar with – the spread of COVID among a predominantly vaccinated population. Just because someone is vaccinated doesn’t mean someone has to voluntarily enter situations where the risk of catching COVID is high.
“No matter what you spend and how much you make, there are always degrees of insecurity,” he said.
“But that doesn’t mean you’re not doing anything.
“[Cyber security] cannot … be handled by a few technical people in a corner somewhere.
“Once we get it on board, we’ll deal with it in a much more rational way.”
Our reporters work hard to provide local and up-to-date news to the community. Here’s how you can continue to access our trusted content:
