The Australian Cyber Security Centre is responsible for producing the Australian Government Information Security Manual, also known as the ISM. The sole purpose of the ISM is to come up with a strategic cybersecurity framework that can be used by various organisations in the state.
Together with their pre-existing risk management frameworks, organisations are now more able to easily protect their systems and important data from potential cyber threats.
The ISM is updated every month, so you can be assured that cybersecurity professionals are up to date with changing cybersecurity risks and potential mitigations.
News for Cyber and Information Security
Since 2009, Australia’s cybersecurity has only been updated once. With a fast-evolving cyber threat environment, the nation was clearly ready for an update on the 2016 policy.
In response to a changing cyber threat environment, the Federal Government started to improve the state’s cybersecurity strategy. Peter Dutton released a discussion paper on how to develop Australia’s cyber and information security in 2020. The discussion paper highlights the need to reconsider the role of the government, businesses, and community in regards to identifying, dealing with and preventing cyber threats. The discussion paper states that the responsibility of cybersecurity has always been shared between government, businesses and the community.
However, it questions if the balance among the three responsible groups is right. It asks whether the government should play a greater role in protecting Australian businesses against malicious actors.
According to Peter Dutton, the state needs to form strong partnerships and collaborations to tackle the cybersecurity challenges facing Australians today.
Already Completed Goals
In reference to the latest progress update, 25 of the 33 set goals have been completed, and the remaining 8 are still ongoing. In the discussion papers, Dutton described the progress as “strong,” adding that the government needs to adapt its approach to facilitate the fight against the changing threat environment.
Some of the already completed actions include:
- Reorganising the operations of Australia’s cyber and information security.
- Creation of joint information security centres in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney.
How the Updated Cyber Security Policy will Benefit Small Businesses in Australia
Cybersecurity is a familiar term, especially for those running a business or are responsible for handling a business’s vital information. This not only includes the CEO of a business, but also the people in charge of customer service as they all access and distributes the business’ information. It’s vital for businesses to have a cybersecurity advisor at hand and to understand that information security is no longer the responsibility of IT specialists, it is everyone’s responsibility.
In this technological era, most businesses are run online. This puts sensitive and important data, identity management and financial transactions at risk of cyber attacks. There has to be a greater level of cybersecurity to prevent malicious cyber-attacks from being a common occurrence.
As a result of the updated 2016 cybersecurity policy, Australian businesses will benefit in the following ways:
- Protection of businesses – Businesses are assured of comprehensive digital protection. As a result, employees get to enjoy the internet at their workplace without risking cyber threats.
- Protection of personal information – Personal information is a highly valued commodity in the digital era. Highly sophisticated malicious attacks can be used to obtain personal information of employees or customers. This information can be sold out or even used to gain access to their financial accounts.
- Business websites get to remain intact – If a business system gets affected by a cyber-attack, chances are the business website will have to be brought down as well. Some viruses can do permanent damage to a system, meaning loss of transactions and customer trust.
- Stop spyware – Cybercriminals use viruses known as spyware to monitor the activities of certain computers. However, good cybersecurity can stop Spyware from accessing a businesses’ systems.
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