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CI-ISAC Australia has awarded a $6.4 million grant to build a cyber security analysis centre focused on the healthcare sector.
The Australian federal government has awarded a $6.4 million grant to not-for-profit cyber intelligence sharing network CI-ISAC Australia to boost cyber security in the healthcare sector.
Healthcare organisations are increasingly under attack by a raft of threat actors, with data breaches in the sector being by far the most financially impactful. In 2023, the global average cost of a breach was a staggering $10.93 million.
The trend here in Australia is no different, with ransomware actors continuing to target everything from medical practices to research institutes.
The grant has enabled CI-ISAC Australia to create the Health Cyber Sharing Network, which will allow healthcare entities to exchange threat intelligence specific to their industry quickly and securely.
“The health and medical sector holds a large amount of incredibly private and personal medical and financial information,” David Sandell, CEO of CI-ISAC Australia, said in a statement.
“We have already seen several high-profile data breaches in the health sector, and the new network can help members reduce their cyber risks. Cyber attacks can also greatly disrupt important health services, and this industry cannot afford interruptions with patients’ wellbeing at stake.”
Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness, the national cyber security coordinator, said the grant was a key component of Australia’s ambition to become the most cyber-secure nation in the world by 2030.
“We have seen in recent years the very real impact that healthcare-related cyber attacks can have on millions of Australians. Increasing threat information sharing contributes to the prevention of cyber attacks and builds resilience,” LTGEN McGuinness said.
“Many in the healthcare sector would know well the philosophy that prevention is better than a cure. This also applies to cyber security and is the driving concept behind this grant.
“Strong industry collaboration and enhanced threat detection through the work of CI-ISAC will increase the protection of Australians’ sensitive health data.”
CI-ISAC is currently offering a complimentary 12-month membership to relevant organisations.
“The value for all sectors increases exponentially as more participants join the trusted network and share their own insights,” Sandell said.
“Cross-sector sharing improves incident detection and response times, enabling health organisations and their suppliers to act more swiftly on threats observed in other industries.”
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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