The latest set of reporting across government and industry indicates a further deterioration of the cyber security landscape impacted by geopolitical events. Cyber security incidents are growing in severity and reach across Australia, with the most targeted sectors being government, health care and social assistance. In addition, disruption to Australia’s critical infrastructure networks through malicious cyber operations remains a significant national security risk.

The Minister of Home Affairs and Cyber Security has set a target for Australia to become the most cyber-secure country in the world by 2030. To assist in hardening and defending Australia’s systems of national significance, data and critical infrastructure networks, as well as mitigate cyber security incidents, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) must rapidly grow its cyber capabilities such as the Infosec Registered Assessors Program (IRAP). Under REDSPICE, IRAP is postured to expand its applicability across all sectors of the Australian economy, as well as drive initiatives designed to uplift cyber security capability across Australia.

• Introduce and outline the purpose of IRAP and its ASD-endorsed assessors.
• Showcase the exciting future of IRAP under REDSPICE and in line with the upcoming 2023-30 Cyber Security Strategy.
• Provide an overview of key findings of the 2022 ACSC Annual Cyber Threat Report and The Commonwealth Cyber Security Posture in 2022 report to parliament.
• Discuss the Essential Eight Assessment Guidance Package, its purpose, and how it can be applied to support high-quality and consistent assessments.
• An overview of the ASD/TAFEcyber Essential Eight Assessors Course which will rollout across Australia from May and produce a pool of Essential Eight Assessors who can assist to uplift the cyber security posture of Australia over time.

Due to the rapidly evolving and confronting reality of cyberspace in the current geopolitical context, the need for high quality assurance programs such as IRAP and its ASD-endorsed pool of expert assessors has never been greater. To that end, ASD’s current considerations to reform the program so that it can discharge its strategic and operational functions at scale to meet Australia’s security objectives is of the upmost importance.