Australia Appoints Former GCHQ Director to Cybersecurity Review Panel

Former British radio spy joins cyber security review by The Mandarin 20.04.2015 Iain Lobban    The former chief of Britain’s GCHQ, Sir Iain Lobban, will help shape Australia’s response to cyber security threats. He joins BCA head Jennifer Westacott and others in providing advice to the government’s Cyber Security Review. The former head of British signals intelligence, Sir Iain Lobban (pictured), has been appointed to the Cyber Security Review’s independent panel of experts, the Australian government announced on Saturday. Lobban, who was director of the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters or GCHQ between 2008 and 2014, “will be extremely valuable to the review as we shape Australia’s strategy to better protect Australia’s networks from cyber attack”, said Prime Minister Tony Abbott in a statement:     “Australia faces real and growing cyber threats. By 2017 more than nine out of 10 Australians will be routinely online and Australian businesses and consumers benefit from the opportunities that an interconnected world delivers.     “Since I announced the government’s cyber security review late last year, the Australian Cyber Security Centre has responded to 164 incidents involving government agencies and helped businesses respond to 2981 incidents. There are many more incidents that businesses have managed themselves.” The Cyber Security Review aims to set out ideas on how the government, industry and academia can better work together to make Australia’s online systems and internet-connected networks more resilient against cyber attacks. Lobban joined GCHQ in 1983 and performed a range of jobs there before joining the board in 2001. That same year he was a participant in the British Cabinet Office’s Top Management Programme, a four week intensive programme for senior managers from the public and private sectors who are likely to reach the highest level within business and government. Other members of the panel include the CEO of the Business Council of Australia, Jennifer Westacott; Chief Security and Trust Officer at Cisco Systems in the United States, John Stewart; the Chief Information Security Officer at Telstra, Mike Burgess; and the Director of the International Cyber Policy Centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Tobias Feakin. So far, the review team has talked to over 140 large and small organisations across Australia and overseas. After a series of delays, the Cyber Security Review is now expected to be completed near its original goal of mid-2015. The review will: Ø     update the Government’s cyber security priorities; Ø     provide a view on the cyber threats and risks Australia faces; Ø     clarify the Government’s role in cyber security for Australia, including how this contributes to the protection of critical infrastructure; Ø     describe how Government and industry can best team up to defend ourselves jointly from those who want to harm us in cyber space; Ø     outline an improved approach on Australia’s engagement with international cyber security forums, to further Australia’s interests and cement our leadership on cyber security; and Ø      recommend practical initiatives to improve Australia’s cyber security, for Government consideration. http://www.themandarin.com.au/30763-former-british-spy-appointed-cyber-security-review-panel/?pgnc=1 LOOK-UPS Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank established in 2001 still receives most of its funding from govt (but claims to be 'independent') purpose:  role of developing ideas on Australia's defence & strategic policy options & helping to inform the public Executive Director = former Deputy Secretary in Dept of Defence {prior to that:  Major General (Retd) Peter Abigail} {first Director was Hugh White, now Professor of Strategic Studies at Australian National University} [Wikipedia] PANEL Business Council of Australia ('BCA') - reps big business* Cisco Systems United States - multinational, sells networking equipment Telstra Australian Strategic Policy Institute - govt think tank former GCHQ:  Iain Lobban *BCA - 2009 - called for taxes to be increased on consumer goods but halved for corporations; wants to increase GST while dropping corporate tax.  Cisco hardware -  NSA backdoor firewalls have the ability to be compromised by the NSA. firmware implant for both the ASA and PIX devices called JETPLOW can be deployed on a firewall target with an exfiltration path to the NSA’s Remote Operations Centre note:  all US networking devices are required by law to have surveillance capabilities built-into them Cisco stated that it does not work with the US govt. https://www.certificationkits.com/cisco-asa-5500-series-compromised-by-nsa/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cisco_Systems NSA’s ANT Division Catalog of Exploits for Nearly Every Major Software/Hardware/Firmware 12/29/2013 SPIEGEL http://leaksource.info/2013/12/30/nsas-ant-division-catalog-of-exploits-for-nearly-every-major-software-hardware-firmware/ Getting a bit late for me.  Might have to come back to this tomorrow to read the 'NSA ANT Division Catalogue of Exploits ...' article. Don't know what to think of the panel.  Big business and the government are well represented.  The public doesn't seem to be represented, although unidentified 'organisations' have been consulted. The Business Council of Australia sound a nasty, self-interested lot.  LOL [ Rushed.  No time to adjust formatting ]

MOSCOW - Abbot's comments unacceptable

New Zealand

MH17: Russia furious at 'unacceptable' Tony Abbott comments
MARK KENNY


Moscow has voiced anger over being blamed by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott for the downing of a Malaysia passenger jet over eastern Ukraine that killed all 298 people on board, calling his comments "unacceptable".

"Without bothering himself about evidence and operating only on speculation, Mr T. Abbott assigned guilt," the foreign ministry said in a statement. "Abbott's statements are unacceptable." 
...
The forceful comments came after Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop emerged from a meeting with Russia's ambassador to Australia Vladimir Morozov, to reveal Moscow had denied the involvement of pro-Russian rebels and attempted to lay the blame at Ukraine's feet.
...
The atrocity has sparked questions over why the Malaysian carrier was still using a flight path over the Ukrainian war zone, when other airlines, including Qantas, had changed their flight paths in recent months due to an increase in the intensity of fighting in the area.
...
Peter Jennings, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said direct military action was unlikely, though the West could look at providing military equipment to the Ukrainians.

"It's a serious geopolitical issue. It lifts Russia back to being the bad boy threat of the Soviet days," he said.

"[But] neither NATO nor the US has an appetite to do anything on the ground. It would be a combination of tougher sanctions and more open support of Ukrainians, for example, providing them with their own military hardware."

One example might be to provide the Ukrainians with Patriot anti-missile batteries, as the the Ukrainian air force does not have strong self-defence capabilities.
...

...extracts only...

SOURCE - stuff.co.nz - here.

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Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) - ACT location

'Think tank' ... formed & mostly funded by the Australian Government
But is 'independent'
Role of:

• developing ideas on Australia's defence and strategic policy
• informing the public on defence and strategic policy issues

Peter Jennings (former Deputy Secretary in the Department of Defence)

[wikipedia]

 
COMMENT

Not surprised Russia isn't impressed with Abbott's melodramatics.

* US will probably arm Ukraine govt ... to secure US investment to date

* US & buddies will probably amp up the anti-Russian sanctions