Major cybersec research centre opens in Canberra

The University of New South Wales has opened a new cybersecurity research and teaching centre in Canberra, designed to bring together Australia’s best cybersecurity experts.

The new Australian Centre for Cyber Security (ACCS) is located at the University of New South Wales’ Canberra campus at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA). The centre was launched on Monday by Assistant Minister for Defence Stuart Robert.

Research at the new centre will cover the five key areas of computer and network security: risk management; international politics and ethics; law; and big data analytics.

In a statement announcing the launch, Robert said that at a time when attempts to infiltrate public and private sector networks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, the importance of cybersecurity research could not be underestimated.

“The cyberthreat facing our nation comes from a wide range of sources, including individuals, issue-motivated groups, criminal syndicates and state-based actors,” he said. “We are lucky to have this centre located at ADFA where our future leaders will have access to state-of-the-art research on this significant issue.”

ACCS director and UNSW Canberra data security expert professor Jill Slay said the centre will bring together the largest cohort of cybersecurity experts in Australia. “ACCS draws on the skills of some of the best cybersecurity experts in the country serving as thought leaders in legal, policy and technical domains,” she said.

Experts have been drawn from a range of sectors, including politics, academia, defence, the ICT industry and the media.

The ACCS is distinct from the planned Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), first announced by the Gillard government in January 2013. The announcement followed a financial year which saw more than 400 cyber incidents against government systems that were significant enough to require a response from the Cyber Security Operations Centre.

The ACSC was conceived as bringing together capabilities from intelligence/defence agencies DSD, ASIO and DIO, as well as the Australian Crime Commission and the Australian Federal Police. This centre is due to commence operation in the second half of the year, and the ACCS plans to work with the ACSC once it is launched.

The opening of the ACCS comes days after Prime Minister Tony Abbott met with US President Barack Obama and agreed to collaborate on cyberdefence and cybersecurity incident response, as well as a host of other defence-related issues.

It also comes in the wake of a series of high-profile attacks on Australian government agencies. In May, Fairfax Media reported the results of a freedom-of-information request detailing an attack that brought down the AFP website in November last year. The culprits were believed to be the same Indonesia-based Anonymous group also suspected of targeting the air force, the Reserve Bank of Australia and intelligence agencies ASIO and ASIS.

Earlier that month, the AFP arrested two alleged Australian Anonymous members on suspicion of targeting a number of Australian and international websites with DDoS campaigns and data breaches.

The ACCS is notable for its cross-disciplinary approach to cybersecurity research. In a recent interview with the Australian Financial Review, Ian McKenzie, former director of intelligence agency the Australian Signals Directorate, stressed that keeping Australia safe from cyberthreats is an issue for business as well as government.

“The private sector owns most of the important infrastructure in Australia,” he said. “About five years ago we realised that cybersecurity was an issue not just for government, but also the private firms. It is a team game: coordination across government, and between government and industry, is absolutely essential.”

Image courtesy of Purple Slog under CC