Australian company Cybermerc is building AUSHIELD DEFEND, a national Threat Sharing Platform with support from AustCyber’s $15 million Projects Fund. Australian businesses will be able to collaborate and defend each other by using AUSHIELD to share information on the latest cyber threats.
COVID-19 is reshaping world affairs and geo-political relationships. According to Prime Minister the Hon. Scott Morrison, Australia is currently the target of sophisticated and sustained cyber attacks against government, research and business networks. AUSHIELD comes at a critical time, providing Australian businesses with a new and unique capability to enhance their cyber security.
AUSHIELD works by linking businesses together in a world first threat sharing platform. When any business is targeted by a new and unique cyber attack, AUSHIELD updates the community, enabling collective defence against shared threats.
Cybermerc CEO and Co-Founder, Matthew Nevin said AUSHIELD marks Australia as a world-leader in cyber knowledge, skills and technologies.
“This project is about building a community. Right now, Australian businesses are defending themselves in isolation. We want them to collaborate. AUSHIELD provides an effective way to connect businesses so they can defend each other.”
“AUSHIELD also brings cyber security companies and Australian universities together. Universities can study new attack methods and inform next generation defensive technologies, to secure Australia’s digital border.”
Michelle Price, CEO of AustCyber said today, “AustCyber’s Projects Fund is one of our key mechanisms used to identify and support cyber security through to commercialisation in Australia. The increasing reliance on technology as a result of COVID-19, and the subsequent rise in cyber attacks and cyber crime, has highlighted the importance of protecting our virtual infrastructure and digital information. AustCyber’s funding towards Cybermerc’s $2.44M Project could not have come at a more important time.”
Joining Cybermerc on the project are the Australian National University (ANU), Vault Cloud, Anomali, and Australian start-ups SecureStack and Countersight.
Dr Lesley Seebeck, CEO of the Cyber Institute at the ANU said the project will not only enable Australian cyber security companies, educators and researchers to further develop their technologies, it will inform educational programs and enable strategic research.
“Cyber now affects every facet of life, and it’s fantastic that companies like Cybermerc are working to build national capability and strengthen Australian cyber defences,” Dr Seebeck said.
“The Cyber Institute is pleased to be collaborating with Cybermerc on this project.”
Members of the cyber community wishing to join AUSHIELD DEFEND should contact Cybermerc at: https://www.cybermerc.com/contact/
