“Nielsen brings a wealth of cybersecurity knowledge to the panel from her experience in defending US government and critical infrastructure networks from cybersecurity attacks,” the spokesperson was reported to have said.
A leading proponent on cybersecurity, Nielsen is known for overseeing the realignment of the Department of Homeland Security from domestic terrorism into the realm of cybersecurity.
“Today, our innovations can be stolen and used to diminish our prosperity … our infrastructure can be hijacked and used to hold us hostage … and our institutions can be compromised and used to undermine our democratic process,” Nielsen said.
Nielsen also has prior experience in dealing with and exposing large scale cyber-attacks on America. In 2018 she oversaw the response to the Chinese cyber-attacks on the United States.
The joint statement said: “These actions by Chinese actors to target intellectual property and sensitive business information present a very real threat to the economic competitiveness of companies in the United States and around the globe.”
“We strongly urge China to abide by its commitment to act responsibly in cyberspace and reiterate that the United States will take appropriate measures to defend our interests.”
Australia is currently experiencing an ongoing cyber attack from an unnamed sophisticated state-based cyber actor.
He said: “There are not a large number of state-based actors that can engage in this type of activity and it is clear, based on the advice that we have received, that this has been done by a state-based actor with very, very significant capabilities.”
Shoebridge said: “When you look at the culmination of capability and intent, the list narrows to the most likely suspect being the Chinese state.”
That day Morrison said that Australian organisations, “including all levels of government, industry, political organisations, education, health, essential service providers, and operators of other critical infrastructure,” were currently being targeted in the attack.
- Patch internet-facing devices—ensuring any web or email servers are fully updated with the latest software.
- Ensure you use multifactor authentication to secure your internet access infrastructure and cloud-based platforms.
- Become an ACSC partner to ensure you get the latest cyber threat advice.
“We understand what’s going on here and we’re addressing it to the best of our capabilities and we’re in a position to do that better than most countries in the world. We know it’s going on. We’re on it. But it is a day to day task that we’re applied to and we will continue to do that to keep Australians safe,” said the prime minister.