As we are all aware, there are growing tensions in Ukraine with fears of an invasion by Russian forces.  As has been predicted for many years, escalation to armed conflict is now being preceded by an increase in cyber-attacks.  These are intended to disrupt the nation’s critical infrastructure and instil fear in the population through the dissemination of misinformation.  This is not just targeted at the nation under threat, but also other nation states to create a global air of uncertainty and unrest.

This has been the case here.  There have been a growing number of reports recently from around the world of an increase in cyber-attacks aimed at global and critical infrastructure organisations.  Some of the headlines we are seeing today include:

• “Cyber-attack knocks down government and bank websites – as UK keeping some Russian sanctions in locker” (Sky News)
• “Ukraine conflict spotlights business need for cyber resilience”. (CIO Dive)
• “Cyber warfare in Ukraine poses threat to global system.” (Australian Financial Review)

There has also been reaction in the global stock market with some shares tumbling as a result of this perceived threat.

Universities are identified as Critical Infrastructure in Australia and are known to be a potential target for any cyber attackers.  We in UNE are particularly cognisant of this and have been improving the cyber resilience of the technical infrastructure for some time.

In response, the Australian Cyber Security Centre has issued an Alert stating “Australian organisations encouraged to urgently adopt an enhanced cyber security posture”.   This is supported by a number of actions organisations should be taking.  These include a suite of security technology controls that UNE has already implemented or is currently deploying.

Technical security controls, however, are just a part of the overall cyber security ecosystem.  Each person in UNE and our partner organisations, has a role to play in ensuring the overall security of the University’s operational infrastructure is maintained.  We are reliant on people being vigilant and reporting suspicious activity on their systems to servicedesk@une.edu.au.  Suspicious activity may include:

• Phishing emails – unexpected emails requesting information or encouraging you to click on a embedded link;
• Suspicious phone calls or text messages – if they aren’t expected, hang-up or block the texts;
• Loss of data or inability to access a system;
• Unexpected changes to your account details.

If you haven’t already, we would encourage you to visit the UNE Cybersecurity page and undertake the UNE Cyber Security Awareness raining.

Thanks for your support in helping us maintain the cyber security integrity of UNE.