July 08, 2020 / by Dale Burgess / In security
Australian Government launches biggest cybersecurity investment in the nation’s history
The Australian Government has announced its Cyber Enhanced Situational Awareness and Response (CESAR) package for $1.35 billion in funding for cybersecurity. According to a media release from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the package’s remit is to “help ensure we have the tools and capabilities we need to fight back and keep Australians safe”.
State Treasurer Dominic Perrottet further emphasised the funding’s significance: “This record investment in technology recognises that digital infrastructure is as important as transport infrastructure to the state’s economic growth.”
Government agencies and corporations are constantly under attack by cybercriminals, but 2020 has seen a noticeable increase. “Government organisations, businesses, and critical infrastructure have been under attack by an unattributed state actor,” Morrison said. The government’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) explains that these threats begin by probing public network vulnerabilities before moving on to phishing campaigns. (Visit the Tikablog next week for our post on phishing.)
What is the CESAR package designed to address?
CESAR aims to boost protection and cyber resilience for all Australians, from individuals and small businesses to critical-service providers. You can find more information about the Department of Home Affairs Australia’s 2020 Cyber Security Strategy as more details become available.
No more spreadsheets! Find those gaps!
If you rely on spreadsheets and guesswork to identify gaps in your cyber hygiene, then this funding provides the perfect opportunity for you to review your environment and enable automation for improved visibility, security, and efficiency.
How do you answer the following questions?
- Do you have a combined view of endpoint protection, vulnerability management, patching, and other systems?
- Can you easily see what devices are missing from the above controls and management systems?
- Do you know how many devices you have? If you ask your team members, would they answer with the same number?
For many organisations, endpoint protection, vulnerability management, and patching systems exist across the environment. However, these systems are typically disconnected from and out of synch with each other, with reporting happening manually, with spreadsheets, with PowerPoint, or with some combination of these. This often results in cyber-hygiene blind spots, security gaps, exposed vulnerabilities, and ultimately reduced protection effectiveness.
Tikabu’s cyber-hygiene software tool, Glue, empowers organisations to quickly understand, take control of, and optimise their security environment. Glue provides both high-level and detailed visibility into the coverage and effectiveness of your security controls.
Want to know more about how you can protect your systems and your business? Get in touch. We’d be glad to help and to tell you more about Glue.