OzCyber Unlocked

To celebrate International Women’s Day on 8 March, Michelle Price sits down with three leading women in cyber and technology. Joining us on episode 19 of OzCyber Unlocked is Kate Pounder, Chief Executive Officer of The Technology Council of Australia, Professor Lesley Seebeck, Honorary Professor at the ANU and in our spotlight, we’re joined by Melinda Cilento, CEO of CEDA. Despite the clear business case for gender parity, women are still significantly underrepresented in senior executive teams across the nation’s top public companies, as well as being underrepresented in the pipeline for these roles. In this episode, Michelle Price asks our panel about how we can get more women in to positions of power and why only there are only 18 women leading companies in Australia’s top 300 listed ASX companies. We’re also discussing some sobering statistics found by the 2021 Australian Census that it will take 65 years for women to hold 40 percent of executive leadership positions in Australia and whether gender quotas are helping women or hindering them. Kate and Lesley reflect on their careers, offer some fantastic advice and talk about why stereotypes and discrimination have no place in our modern society. For the special edition of our spotlight, Melinda Cilento speaks about the economic cost of a lack of diversity and what benefits diversity and inclusion can bring to not only the financial side of a business, but day-to-day operations. In fact, Melinda points us to research out of Canada that shows organisations that had three or more female board members, managed cyber security risks better than those with fewer. “The more diversity and inclusion – the better” Useful links: Australia's gender equality scorecard: https://www.wgea.gov.au/publications/australias-gender-equality-scorecard CEW Census: https://cew.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/CEW-Census-2021-Media-Release-210908.pdf https://apo.org.au/node/313941#:~:text=Key%202021%20findings%20include%3A,%2Dlisted%20companies%20(6.2%25)

It’s our first episode of OzCyber Unlocked for 2022! This month, AustCyber's CEO Michelle Price speaks to two passionate advocates for building Australia’s next generation of cyber employees - Evan Williams, the Australian Director at Microsoft 365 Business Group and Dr Bobby Cerini, Questacon’s General Manager of Science and Learning & Deputy Director. Dr Cerini runs us through Questacon’s new Australian Cyber Ready Program, which was launched during Australian Cyber Week. Designed for students aged 8-13 and their teachers, the program aims to improve cyber security skills, awareness and job readiness through a series of interactive and creative challenges. AustCyber has also partnered with Microsoft to deliver a new Cyber Security Traineeship Program. Mr Williams discusses why this program is important for participants, industry and our economy, and explains how cyber ‘boot camps’ will encourage anyone from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines to get involved in the sector with a focus on diversifying the talent pool. We also discuss how we can continue to build, inspire and ensure programs such as these continue well into the future. This month, our spotlight features Dr James Curran from Grok Academy. A not-for-profit organisation, Grok Academy is the amalgamation of the Australian Computing Academy (ACA) and Grok Learning. Their focus is to educate, empower and inform through learning platforms, curriculum, professional development, and teaching resources. Useful links: https://www.questacon.edu.au/cyber-ready-programcyberready@questacon.edu.auhttps://www.megt.com.au/news/2019/12/cyber-security-traineeship-programgrokacademy.org support@groklearning.com

This month, we look back at what has been one of the most challenging years on record. The pandemic and lockdowns dictated changes to our ways of working. On the upside, we all became more deeply connected to the cyber physical world around us. Unfortunately, it also meant greater risk from cyber criminals and foreign state actors. In episode seventeen of ‘OzCyber Unlocked’, AustCyber’s CEO Michelle Price speaks to Hamish Hansford (Group Manager and Head of the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre at the Department of Home Affairs) and Chris Painter, (President of The Global Forum on Cyber Expertise Foundation) about how the speed of change has exposed new vulnerabilities; how we can protect our digital borders; the progression of critical infrastructure legislation; the ongoing cyber skills shortage in Australia, and the big trends that will have an impact on 2022 and beyond. This month, our cyber spotlight features Vikrim Sharma (Founder and CEO of Quintessence Labs). In a world where data is too important to be compromised, Quintessence Labs delivers powerful data protection, enhanced by the quantum power of nature. This includes centralised enterprise key and policy management, a high-speed true random number generator, an integrated hardware security module, and highly secure encryption for data in uncontrolled environments. For more information about the organisations featured, visit: www.cisc.gov.auwww.thegfce.orgwww.quintessencelabs.comCatch up previous episodes of ‘OzCyber Unlocked’ during the Christmas break: https://bit.ly/3m5wv0Ehttps://bit.ly/3dOsU2yhttps://bit.ly/3ueW4ixhttps://bit.ly/3lW2LCuhttps://bit.ly/2ZEd4nrhttps://bit.ly/3m22bDhhttps://bit.ly/2XTrJtJ

On Monday 25 October, as part of Australian Cyber Week 2021, we hosted our first ‘AustCyber after dark’ session where we stepped through the facets of a hypothetical cyber-attack on a hospital – the impacts on and responses of the medical system, government, crucial parts of our society and how it could impact us all. Through the eyes of Australia’s top cyber experts, including Matthew Nevin (CEO of Cybermerc), John Ellis (CISO of Bupa), Chris Painter (President of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise) and Jessica Hunter (Acting First Assistant Director-General at the Australian Cyber Security Centre), the audience heard how Australia would respond should a potentially devastating cyber incident occur and importantly, how ready we are. This episode was recorded live and is now released as a special edition of ‘OzCyber Unlocked’. The episode features an opening address by the Hon Karen Andrews MP, Minister for Home Affairs, and is hosted by AustCyber’s CEO Michelle Price.

In episode fifteen of ‘OzCyber Unlocked’, host Michelle Price reflects on the topics of our past five episodes with retired MAJGEN Dr Marcus Thompson AM, a regular listener of this podcast. Among many things, Marcus runs his own advisory, Cyber Compass, is a strategic advisor at ParaFlare, a senior advisor to Macquarie Telecom Group, and a Director at Penten and Engineers Australia. He is also the immediate past and inaugural Head of Information Warfare for the Australian Defence Force. Deliberately, the topics of our last several pods are topical for all Australian organisations. This includes insider threats, the Australian Government’s Essential Eight mitigations for managing cyber risk, cyber threat intelligence, diversity in Australia’s cyber workforce and careers and pathways in the cyber industry. Discussion traverses these topics as they relate to the various cyber-physical challenges currently faced by the economy, the impending critical infrastructure legislative changes, and the heightened awareness around cyber-attack methods including ransomware. This month, our cyber spotlight features Ben Whitham, Co-founder and General Manager at Penten. Founded in 2014, Penten is one of Australia’s fastest growing and successful cyber security companies focused on innovation in secure mobility, applied artificial intelligence and tactical communications security. Useful links: https://bit.ly/3zKGso0https://attack.mitre.org/https://ab.co/3CTg4dVhttps://bit.ly/3m0GlA0www.penten.comhttps://bit.ly/3EU0tfRCatch up on the past five episodes of ‘OzCyber Unlocked’: https://bit.ly/3ueW4ixhttps://bit.ly/3lW2LCuhttps://bit.ly/2ZEd4nrhttps://bit.ly/3m22bDhhttps://bit.ly/2XTrJtJ

One subject that often flies under the radar in the world of cyber security is insider threats. But this is a very real risk for Australian businesses. Some of today’s most damaging security threats do not originate from malicious outsiders or malware, but from trusted insiders with access to sensitive data and systems. In episode fourteen of ‘OzCyber Unlocked’, AustCyber’s CEO Michelle Price speaks to Tracie Thompson (CEO and Co-Founder of HackHunter) and Dan Holman (CEO and Co-founder of WorldStack) about how human and technical threats are used to steal IP that is used in a variety of nefarious ways by cyber criminals. This month, our ‘cyber spotlight’ features Adam Bennett (CEO and Founder of Red Piranha). Red Piranha is an Australian cyber security company that has built a comprehensive platform of threat management tools that ensures advanced protection, threat detection and incident response. For more information about the organisations featured, visit: www.hackhunter.iowww.worldstack.iowww.redpiranha.netAdditional links to products mentioned during the podcast: https://hak5.org/https://youtu.be/ggYIsnUgUdU

Since the start of the pandemic, global digitization has accelerated at breakneck speed, and as we have seen in the news, cyber-attacks are impacting more and more businesses and individuals than ever before. This month, we ask how the Essential Eight is working for Australian organisations and discuss recent news that the federal government is set to mandate the Essential Eight cyber security controls for all 98 non-corporate Commonwealth entities. This comes four years after they were released as an evolution on the Top 4 mitigation strategies – the key strategies from the framework of 35 strategies developed as a leading set of practices by the Australian Signals Directorate over a decade ago. What does this mean for your organisation and cyber security readiness? How does this align with the other standards for cyber security practice and of course, cyber security regulations and legislation? Does the Essential Eight offer an approach to cyber security beyond government and large business? In episode thirteen of ‘OzCyber Unlocked’, AustCyber’s US Ecosystem Development Lead Michelle Mosey speaks to Suzy Clarke (Executive GM for Security at accounting software company Xero), Keith Howard (Group CISO at the Commonwealth Bank), Jennifer Stockwell (National Cyber Security Principal at Telstra) and Andrew Pade (General Manager Cyber Defence Operations at Commonwealth Bank and former Head of Cyber Security at the Reserve Bank of Australia). This month, our ‘cyber spotlight’ features David Cottingham from Airlock Digital. Airlock Digital is an Australian cyber security company that enables you to easily create and manage secure allowlists, what you might know as whitelists. In the simplest of terms, Airlock’s platform provides the management of programs and files on your allowlist – if it’s not on the list, it will not run. For more information about the organisations featured, visit: www.xero.com.auhttps://youtu.be/cEgBedteiAEwww.commbank.com.au/support/security.htmlwww.telstra.com.au/cyber-securitywww.airlockdigital.com

Cyber threat intelligence is a hot topic in security right now. Over the past year, we have seen wide-spread geopolitical destabilisation, COVID-19, the rise of the remote workforce and most recently, significant ransomware attacks against critical infrastructure. Broadly, threat intelligence is about sharing information between industry, academia and government so Australians can work together to defend their networks from attack and start to form a collective defence. In episode twelve of ‘OzCyber Unlocked’, AustCyber’s CEO Michelle Price speaks to Glenn Maiden (Director of Threat Intelligence at Fortiguard Labs Australia and New Zealand, Fortinet), Brett Williams (Lead Solutions Architect Asia Pacific & Japan at Flashpoint), Andrew Slater (Director of AUSHIELD at Cybermerc) and Dave O’Loan (Head of Cyber Relations at Australia’s Academic and Research Network) to discuss threat intelligence, collaboration and how industry is building a collective defence against cyber attacks. This month, our ‘cyber spotlight’ features Michael Gianarakis from Assetnote. Combining advanced asset discovery with continuous, high-signal security monitoring, Assetnote’s Attack Surface Management platform gives complete, continuous visibility into your evolving attack surface. For more information about the organisations featured, visit: www.fortiguard.comwww.flashpoint-intel.comwww.cybermerc.comwww.aarnet.edu.auwww.assetnote.io

What is diversity? What does a toxic culture look like in practice? What are the main issues or challenges that our sector needs to tackle? In episode eleven of ‘OzCyber Unlocked’, AustCyber’s CEO Michelle Price speaks to Jacqui Loustau (Founder of the Australian Women in Security Network), Jinan Budge (Principal Analyst at Forrester), Tony Vizza (Director of Cyber Security Advocacy for the Asia-Pacific Region at (ISC)²), Jacqueline Kernot (Cyber Security Partner at EY) and Laura Lees (Sydney Co-Chapter Lead at AWSN and Vice President of the ISACA Sydney Chapter) about what can be done to address a toxic culture for individuals, leaders and organisations. This month, our ‘cyber spotlight’ features Louisa Partridge and Louisa Vogelenzang who co-founded Women Speak Cyber – a social enterprise that equips Australian women with the essential public speaking training and skills they need to present at cyber security conferences. To register for the upcoming ‘Cyber shift’ event (held on 21 July) mentioned during the podcast, visit https://bit.ly/3gcEe9j. Note: This podcast episode deals with serious and potentially distressing and triggering topics. If you feel at any time, you need support, please contact your local crisis centre or visit https://bit.ly/3imBWaz. This episode, as part of our commitment to enacting change, our speakers share tangible actions to help strengthen culture and diversity:

What roles are available in the cyber security industry? What qualities do employers look for? Currently, there is a shortage of skilled cyber security workers around the world. In Australia, the pipeline needs to continue to expand to meet the sector’s – and the economy’s – growth needs. The workforce is estimated to increase to 33,500 by 2024, with around 7,000 workers requiring training over the next four years. In episode ten of ‘OzCyber Unlocked’, AustCyber’s CEO Michelle Price speaks to Paul Nevin (Co-founder and CTO of Cybermerc), Timothy McKay (Founder and CEO of OK RDY), Matthew Jorgensen (Project Manager at the ACS) and Will Markow (Managing Director at Burning Glass Technologies) about their career journeys, pathways into the sector and how to take advantage of opportunities such as mentoring and certification. This month, our ‘cyber spotlight’ features Susie Barber and Rebecca Vivian from the University of Adelaide. The university was awarded a project to the value of approximately $300,000 as part of AustCyber’s Projects Fund to develop the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to provide cyber focused resources and challenges to support and encourage Australian schoolteachers in national cyber security education efforts. For more information about the organisations featured, visit: www.cybermerc.comwww.okrdy.comwww.acs.org.auwww.burning-glass.comwww.cyberseek.com.auhttps://csermoocs.adelaide.edu.au/news/list/2020/06/25/new-moocs-on-teaching-cyber-security-awarenessUseful links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8NyXb7MOxwhttps://qldictgisp.acs.org.au/home.html

AUCyberscape is Australia’s first consolidated online destination for understanding Australia’s cyber security capabilities. It provides interactive visibility of Australian cyber security products and services available on the economy and will highlight trends, issues and opportunities in the industry. Further, it collects data that demonstrates the breadth of capability and growth of the sector, together with its ability to be globally competitive as it scales. The platform, which is free to users and providers, allows Australian cyber security companies to showcase their products, services, business solutions and sector experience; connect with customers; and access information to support their company development and growth. Businesses, government, investors and individuals can understand more about cyber security and their cyber security needs; search for and directly connect with Australian cyber security companies; and learn about cyber security career pathways and education opportunities. In episode nine of ‘OzCyber Unlocked’, AustCyber’s CEO Michelle Price speaks to Scott Gunther (General Partner at IAG Firemark Ventures), Professor Lesley Seebeck (Honorary Professor at the ANU), Prerana Mehta (Chief of Ecosystem Development at AustCyber) and Eddie Sheehy (tech entrepreneur, investor, and non-executive director at Secure Code Warrior) about the value of AUCyberscape to the sector. This month’s ‘cyber spotlight’ features Tony Smales from Forticode. Through their patented, bi-directional cryptographic process that is fully auditable and tamper proof, Forticode’s product ‘Cipherise’ provides a universal method for authenticating people, accepting and tracking approvals, communicating, and collecting digital signatures. For more information about the organisations featured, visit: www.aucyberscape.comwww.austcyber.comwww.iag.com.auwww.forticode.comhttps://cipherise.com

In this special episode of ‘OzCyber Unlocked’, Michelle Price speaks to Alex Scandurra, CEO of Stone & Chalk, about the recent merger between AustCyber and Stone & Chalk to boost Australia’s sovereign domestic industrial capability in critical and emerging technologies. By coming together, the organisations will provide startups and scale-ups with greater access to domestic and international customers, capital, talent and expertise. This will create highly-skilled jobs for Australians and to retain economic benefit as emerging tech industries grow. The partnership will also see Australian cyber security and emerging technology founders receive access to the full suite of Stone & Chalk’s commercialisation support services. In turn, Stone & Chalk’s emerging tech founders will receive vital support and expertise from AustCyber to ensure they are ‘secure by design’ before they write their very first line of code. Together, the organisations will provide a powerful voice to better shape the policy and regulatory landscape for critical and emerging tech products and services. For more information about the merger, visit www.shapingthefuturetogether.com.au. For more information about the individual organisations featured, visit: www.austcyber.comwww.stoneandchalk.com.auKey resources from both organisations: Australia’s Digital Trust Report 2020Australia’s Cyber Security Sector Competitiveness Plan 2020Capital Raising Guide for Startups

Cyber security standards and guidance play a key role in improving the security of data, assets, systems, networks and critical infrastructure. Well-developed, practical and verifiable standards, along with their supporting information in the form of guidance, enables consistency in cyber security practices and encourages competitiveness among developers, responders, managers and organisations. Last year, the NSW Cyber Security Standards Harmonisation Taskforce was convened to accelerate the adoption of harmonised Australian standards for cyber security, with NSW as the pilot state in Australia. This month, the Taskforce is releasing its Recommendations Report. In episode seven of ‘OzCyber Unlocked’, we speak to the Hon. Victor Dominello MP (NSW Minister for Customer Service), Prerana Mehta (Chief of Ecosystem Development at AustCyber) and Dr Jed Horner (Policy Manager at Standards Australia) about the benefit to Australia’s economy of having a common set of cyber security standards, high-level takeaways from the Recommendations Report, and how the NSW Government is building a robust cyber security ecosystem. This month’s ‘cyber spotlight’ features Tracie Thompson from HackHunter. HackHunter is a rapidly growing Australian cyber security IoT provider who recently launched its portable Pursuit WiFi tracker, which detects and locates the source of unauthorised and potentially malicious WiFi with precision. For more information about the organisations featured, visit: www.austcyber.comwww.standards.org.auwww.service.nsw.gov.auwww.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/ministers/minister-for-customer-servicehttps://hackhunter.io/

In episode six of ‘OzCyber Unlocked’, Michelle Price is joined by members of the AustCyber team to reflect on 2020 and discuss highlights from the year. Guests include: To learn more about AustCyber’s programs and initiatives, visit www.austcyber.com.

Cyber security continues to be one of the most rapidly expanding sectors worldwide, with global spending on cyber security products and services increasing by 30 per cent from 2017 to 2020. This year alone, Australians spent approximately A$5.6 billion on cyber security from both local and international providers, a figure that is expected to increase to A$7.6 billion by 2024. The 2020 update to Australia’s Cyber Security Sector Competitiveness Plan, also known as the SCP, draws on extensive industry consultation and research to provide a fresh picture of the global outlook, challenges, opportunities and priority actions needed to grow a vibrant and globally competitive cyber security sector that enhances Australia’s future economic growth. Last year’s deep dive explored the underlying structural challenges of not yet having robust measurement of the sector’s development. This year, through market and administrative data, as well as insights from AustCyber’s inaugural sector-wide Digital Census, we have produced the first comprehensive measurement of the Australian cyber security sector – including state-by-state analysis. These fresh insights have allowed us to uncover the current state of the sector, outline the potential for the next growth phase and describe how to accelerate the momentum the sector has developed over the past five years. In episode five of ‘OzCyber Unlocked’, we speak to Toby Brennan (COO and Director, AlphaBeta Australia, part of Accenture), Jacqui Nelson (CEO, Dekko Secure), Gemma Cosgriff (National Head of Partnerships, Stone & Chalk) and Dr Tobias Feakin (Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) about how the data was collected and analysed, market barriers, strategies for growth, and how we can capture global export opportunities. This month’s ‘cyber spotlight’ features Andrew Eddy from Untapped. Untapped is a network of autism professionals, recruiters, software developers, training providers, researchers and workplace consultants, all passionate about neurodiversity inclusion. Their mission is to build high-performing teams from groups of highly skilled individuals. They look for commercially compelling opportunities in organisations for neurodiverse teams and uncover extraordinary individuals to form those teams. For more information about the organisations featured, visit: Australia’s Cyber Security Sector Competitiveness Planhttps://www.austcyber.com/resources/sector-competitiveness-planwww.alphabeta.comwww.decuresecure.comwww.stoneandchalk.com.auwww.dfat.gov.auwww.untapped-group.com

Australian Cyber Week 2020 is the fourth annual showcase of Australia’s vibrant and dynamic cyber security sector, being held in a virtual format from 26-30 October. Cyber Week provides opportunities for Australian cyber security and related organisations to showcase their capabilities and network with peers, potential investors and customers. It also provides a great way for cyber curious individuals and organisations to better understand what cyber security can do and mean for them. This year, we have 30 online and (COVID-safe) in-person events and activities – spanning the full breadth of the cyber security landscape for those within the sector, but also well beyond. In episode four of ‘OzCyber Unlocked’, we speak to a range of guests and partners featured during Australian Cyber Week 2020, including: CISO LensCyRise Baidam SolutionsWe focus specifically on two events – ‘Sky’s the Limit’ and ‘Culture shock – barriers to diversity are the barriers to growth’ and discuss: This month’s ‘cyber spotlight’ features Casey Ellis from Bugcrowd. Bugcrowd is a crowdsourced security platform. It’s one of the first companies to embrace and utilise crowdsourced security and cyber security researchers as linchpins of its business model. Founded in 2011, Bugcrowd has grown into one of the largest bug bounty and vulnerability disclosure companies on the internet. For more information about the organisations featured, visit: www.cisolens.comwww.cyrise.cowww.baidam.com.auwww.bugcrowd.comTo register for Australian Cyber Week 2020, visit www.cyberweek2020.austcyber.com.

Since Australia’s 2016 Cyber Security Strategy was released, the cyber security industry has grown from a nascent part of the Australian economy into a significant ecosystem of capability, creating both local and export growth opportunities. ​On 6 August 2020, the Australian Government released its next iteration in cyber policy through Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy 2020. Over the next 10 years, $1.67 billion will be spent on supporting actions set out in the strategy. But what does this mean for the sector? What are the opportunities? What was missed? How can industry fill the gaps? In episode three of ‘OzCyber Unlocked’, we speak to Hamish Hansford (First Assistant Secretary of National Security and Law Enforcement Policy, Department of Home Affairs), Kylie Walker (CEO, Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering) and Fergus Hanson (Director of the International Cyber Policy Centre, Australian Strategic Policy Institute) about the likely impact of the strategy on the economy and national interests, the importance of upskilling the nation, and the value of technology in fighting cybercrime. This month’s ‘cyber spotlight’ features Susie Jones and Adam Selwood from Cynch Security. Cynch partner with small businesses, continuously profiling their cyber risks and providing the people at the heart of these businesses with the things they need to build and demonstrate cyber fitness in less than five minutes at a time, at a price they can afford. For more information about the organisations featured, visit: Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy 2020https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about-us/our-portfolios/cyber-security/strategyhttps://www.atse.org.au/https://www.aspi.org.au/https://cynch.com.au/https://imnis.org.au/https://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/https://malechampionsofchange.com/https://aspiicpc.substack.com/

The issue of missing persons in Australia is complex and multifaceted. Over 38,000 missing persons reports are submitted to police every year in Australia. In this episode, we dive into the topic of OSINT (open-source intelligence) and explore how AustCyber partnered with the Australian Federal Police and Trace Labs last year to hold the National Missing Persons Hackathon – a new and creative way to reach, and engage with, the Australian community to highlight that the issue of missing persons is a community one, not just an issue for police, and cyber security has an important role to play. We focus on: Guests include Trish Halligan (Team Leader, National Missing Persons Coordination Centre), Chris Poulter (Founder and CEO, OSINT Combine) and Linda Cavanagh (National Network Lead at AustCyber and founder of the National Missing Persons Hackathon). This month’s ‘cyber spotlight’ features Tony Surtees from laava.id. laava.id is an Australian business bringing innovative, secure marking and consumer engagement technology to brands in the fight against global counterfeiters – especially in Australian export markets. Built in collaboration with the CSIRO, Laava Smart Fingerprints help to safeguard businesses against loss of market share and reputational damage. For more information about the organisations featured, visit: www.missingpersonshackathon.com.auwww.austcyber.comhttps://missingpersons.gov.au/www.osintcombine.comhttps://academy.osintcombine.comhttps://academy.osintcombine.com/p/advanced-open-source-intelligence-course1https://www.tracelabs.org/https://www.laava.id/

Australia’s digital infrastructure and the data it carries are core to the value and growth of the nation’s economy. In this episode, we dive into AustCyber’s new report – Australia’s Digital Trust Report 2020 – which highlights the role digital trust plays in attracting investment and driving jobs growth. Guests include John Paitaridis (CEO of CyberCX), Matthew Wilson (CEO of Penten) and Sam Crowther (Founder of Kasada). For more information about AustCyber, visit www.austcyber.com.