Strengthening Australia's Information Security

3 December 2003

STRENGTHENING AUSTRALIA'S INFORMATION SECURITY

Australian Government agencies will be able to respond more quickly to information security threats with the launch today of the OnSecure website.

OnSecure, jointly developed by the National Office of the Information Economy (NOIE) and the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD), allows Government agencies to securely report information security incidents online rather than by mail or facsimile.

The secure website will make it easier for Government agencies to report any attempted hacking, denial of service or other breaches of information security.

It will also help the DSD to analyse incident reports more quickly and effectively, to identify any developing patterns and to assess the resulting threat level.

OnSecure also has a public site, www.onsecure.gov.au , which makes information security resource material available to the general public. The site will help Internet users to understand and respond to potential e-security threats and will provide access to information and advice on issues such as spam, viruses and fraud.

OnSecure is funded through the Government's allocation of $24.9 million over four years in the 2002-03 Budget for the E-Security National Agenda strategy.

As part of this strategy, the Government allocated additional funding to NOIE, the DSD, the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the Attorney-General's Department to develop systems to protect, detect and respond to any attacks directed against Australia's national information infrastructure.

The national information infrastructure comprises the electronic systems underpinning critical services such as telecommunications, transport and distribution, energy and utilities, and the banking and finance sectors. Protecting this infrastructure against attack is vital to Australia's national security.

The establishment of OnSecure is yet another Government initiative that contributes to building a more secure and trusted electronic operating environment in Australia.

ENDS

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