Australia is assembling an offensive cyber team with a view towards becoming the world's "most cyber-secure country" by the end of the decade, a government minister has revealed.
The announcement of the strategy comes on the heels of the Optus and Medibank Private cyber attacks, which Claire O’Neil, the country’s home affairs minister, described as “the worst in Australian history”. The two attacks occurred within three weeks of each other in September and October 2022.
In response to these attacks - and an overall increase in cyber-security incidents across the globe - the Australian government has launched a programme to develop a new cyber-security strategy that will replace the one designed in 2020.
Speaking at the National Press Club, O’Neil said the strategy will be led by cyber-security cooperative research centre CEO Rachael Falk, former Telstra CEO Andy Penn, and former chief of the Air Force Mel Hupfeld.
There will also be an...