Beyond Academia: Cyber Security Research Impacts. January Beyond Academia: Cyber Security Research Impacts

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1 Beyond Academia: Cyber Security Research Impacts January 2017 Never Stand Still The Australian Centre for Cyber Security Beyond Academia: Cyber Security Research Impacts 1

2 ACCS INCUBATOR IMPACT #1: MILITARY DEFENCE OF CYBER SPACE The Australian Centre for Cyber Security (ACCS) was established in the University of New South Wales Canberra in mid It has a small core staff which plugs into an additional 55 academic staff across the university in Sydney and Canberra. This report relates to the cumulative impact of the ACCS Incubator (the small core unit in Canberra) in the period , even though most staff only joined the centre recently. This is a pioneering team undertaking research and education, some of which is unique in Australia. It is led by a nationally prominent researcher who has received nine Category 1 research grants. Staff Professor Jill Slay AM Dr Benjamin Turnbull Dr Elena Sitnikova Dr Nalin Asanka Gamagedara Arachchilage Professor Greg Austin Tim Wilson-Brown Dr Gideon Greech Dr Nicolas Micalieff Dr Jai Galliott The ACCS Incubator has eight cross-cutting research priorities, as set out in our Research Plan, a publicly available document. 1. Cyber-enabled war, ADF strategies and capability 2. Assessing mission-critical aspects of cyber attack and defence 3. Cyber intrusions, detection and forensics 4. Cyber education and skilling, especially for security agencies 5. Human aspects of cyber security and privacy 6. Cyber dependency and resilience of critical national infrastructure 7. International threat environment, diplomatic responses and national cyber security policy 8. Ethics in cyber space Doctoral Candidates Lt. Col. Lisa Davidson Lt. Col. David Ormrod Sqn. Ldr. Daniel Clark Lt. Col. Andy Williams Ms. Awanthika Senarath Mr. Nour Moustafa Mr. Chamila Dilshan Wijayarathna Mr. Ben Witham Mr. Steven Wilson Since July 2014, ACCS has become an important national asset for research and ideas informing security policy in cyber space (defence, diplomacy, counter-terrorism, espionage, cyber technologies) 1. ACCS is the only university centre in the country now consistently researching the topic of Australian military policy for cyber war; and this research has been discussed with relevant senior officials on a variety of occasions 2. ACCS partnered with the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) in November 2015 to organise a one-day symposium, with research papers, on Redefining R&D Needs for Australian Cyber Security, the first such event of its kind in the country 3. Knowledge transfer through a suite of Master s degrees unique in Australia oriented to national security agencies and defence force, and associated professional development courses ($2 million new income in 2016) 4. An ACCS staff member was the only Australian scholar to provide a research paper as a public submission on cyber war issues to the last Defence White Paper process ( ) 5. The Australian Army and RAAF send Ph D students to ACCS for supervised research to support post-study leadership roles in fields directly related to their doctoral studies 6. Relevant national security agencies regularly invite ACCS staff and doctoral students to advise on the results of their research 7. ACCS staff contribute regularly to globally prominent media outlets (.e.g. Boston Globe and The Conversation), journalist reports (e.g. MIT Technology Review), and industry conferences on these military-related subjects 8. ACCS organises well-attended briefings for Australian officials and foreign diplomats on relevant military-related research 9. ACCS staff brief their research to Australian Defence colleges 10. ACCS staff interact with officials in the United States Department of Defense on research findings, with one scholar briefing in the Office of the Secretary for Defense 2 The Australian Centre for Cyber Security Beyond Academia: Cyber Security Research Impacts 3

3 SECURITY IN CYBER SPACE: THE MATRIX OF RESEARCH AREAS Software Power Supply Countering Terrorism Hardware Protecting Children Privacy Securing the Digital Economy Protecting Critical Infrastructure Policy Cyber Enabled War Espionage Networks Education & Skills Payload Countering Crime Information Ecosystem 4 The Australian Centre for Cyber Security Beyond Academia: Cyber Security Research Impacts 5

4 IMPACT #2: CYBER SECURITY IN THE CIVIL SECTOR ACCS has become an important resource for research and ideas informing national policy on civil sector (non-defence) cyber security 1. ACCS is the only university centre in the country to have published a research paper previewing the Australian government s April 2016 Cyber Security Strategy and to have published a research paper analysing it after the release of the strategy 2. ACCS staff have been invited to brief leading Australian corporations, business groups, and government agencies (including ANZ, NBNCo, ASIC, Thales, Childrens esafety Commissioner) on these topics 3. ACCS has received research grants from the private sector to develop some of that work, especially around usable security 4. The Centre Director has been invited to lead a national level task force on professionalisation of the cyber security workforce in Australia 5. Another ACCS scholar has been invited to join an industry-based national task force on cyber security 6. ACCS secured a partnership with Data 61 to be a national focal point for research on human aspects of cyber security 7. ACCS staff speak regularly at industry conferences on these topics in Australia and overseas (with events in 2016 alone in Beijing, Washington DC, Oxford, London, and Delhi) 8. An ACCS researcher received positive and negative responses to a proposal to set up a Cyber Civil Corps (a cyber militia ) under the direction of the Minister for Communications 9. An ACCS researcher is working as part of a team to develop a non-profit organisation in the field of cyber security community-based education IMPACT #3: TECHNICAL PROBLEM SOLVING FOR GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS ACCS has become an important resource for providing technical solutions through research to selected problems of cyber security for government agencies and corporations 1. Secured partnership with Data 61 (CSIRO) to be a national focal point for research on human aspects of cyber security 2. Leading corporations in India and the United States have contacted us to discuss application of our published research on social engineering for system intrusion 3. Leading commercial firms in Melbourne sponsored a dedicated presentation by us of a technological solution to combat social engineering for system intrusion 4. We have consulted with the Office of the Children s e-safety Commissioner in Australia on developing a Cyber-Stalking Awareness Toolkit to protect Australian teens 5. Recognition of research excellence through invitations to two senior staff to join national level task forces (a chairing role in one task force convened by the Australian government and a professional peak body, and a membership role in another task force convened by private industry) 6. The U.S. Navy awarded a research grant to an ACCS researcher 7. Other business-in-confidence activities *Research impact is the demonstrable contribution--beyond academia--that research makes to the economy, society, culture, national security, public policy or services, health, the environment, or quality of life, beyond contributions to academia. 10. Visible and consistent profile in public debates on a high priority set of national cyber security issues: among policy constituencies, business communities, civil society and academic colleagues in Australia and internationally, many of whom respond directly to our specific research findings 6 The Australian Centre for Cyber Security Beyond Academia: Cyber Security Research Impacts 7

5 For More Information: Luke Garner (Centre Manager) E: T : Professor Jill Slay (Director, ACCS) E: j.slay@adfa.edu.au Cricos Provider Code: 00098G CMU The Australian Centre for Cyber Security