SA stages mock cyber attack

A job interview of a different kind.

By Denham Sadler on Aug 11 2017 09:27 AM

The South Australian government has staged a mock cyber attack to test the readiness of local companies trying to bid for lucrative defence industry contracts.

The staged attack, as part of the cybersecurity industry forum in Adelaide, was carried out by Defence SA and Defence Teaming Centre, and aimed to demonstrate the threat that these forms of attack pose to national security, defence, financial and administrative systems.

The demonstrations included phishing emails, malware and computer scams allowing hackers to steal files, access information and completely take over entire systems, South Australia Minister for Defence Industries Martin Hamilton-Smith said.

“Cyber vulnerability is a serious and evolving threat across all industries, including the high-tech multi-billion dollar defence industry,” Hamilton-Smith said.

“Cyber attacks on large Australian companies and government agencies happen daily, and can have devastating impacts, so it is vital we protect ourselves and our information.”

The forum also included live demonstrations by cybersecurity firms OpSys and Fire Eye, along with updates to the industry on potential new threats and protective measures.

The Minister said that cybercrime is now the seventh largest economic threat around the world, and is estimated to cost Australia $16 billion over the coming decade.

The mock attack and cybersecurity forum will help equip local companies with the abilities to protect themselves and sensitive information from attacks, and give them the best chance possible to secure a raft of work in the supply chain for upcoming defence programs in the state.

“In an increasingly technologically advanced society, it is important our companies are armed with cyber-ready capabilities to give themselves a competitive edge to win supply chain work for upcoming defence programs,” Hamilton-Smith said.

“South Australia is home to some of the world's most complex and sophisticated defence projects, so it is important to ensure that the industries supporting defence are protected against cyber threats.

“Australia features prominently as a target for cyber attacks due to our rapid adoption of technology and relative global wealth -- yet another reason to be ahead of the game.”

It was recently announced that researchers in the state will be developing new technologies to detect and neutralise cyber threats. The federal government will be providing the Data to Decisions Cooperative Research Centre with $1 million to work on this cyber intelligence capability.

Along with the South Australian government, the federal government has been placing an especial emphasis on cybersecurity this year. Most recently, a new cyber division was launched in the Australian Defence Force, with the ASD now directed to use its “offensive cyber capabilities to disrupt, degrade, deny and deter offshore cyber criminals”, with 800 new roles created.

It comes as a new report found that a large-scale cyber attack could cost Australia more than fives times that of a severe natural disaster. The research report found that a cyber attack on average could cost $67.1 billion, more than five times the estimated cost of the devastating Queensland floods in 2011.

There have already been two significant ransomware attacks this year, which spread around the world and brought UK hospitals to a standstill.

Denham Sadler

Denham Sadler is a freelance journalist based in Melbourne. He was previously Editor of StartupSmart, and writes on tech and politics. His work has been published in The Saturday Paper and The Guardian.

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