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At a secret Sydney location, a $25 million cyber security centre has been set up to protect the NSW Police network from online security threats in real time.
Protected behind a 300-kilogram bulletproof door, ongoing operations to stop cyber criminals have been underway in a new secret Sydney high-security centre. While the location of the new Cyber Security Operations Centre is a tightly held secret, it is set to protect Aussies from devastating hack attacks.
The high-security centre has the power to isolate significant attacks from the wider police network, focused on shielding NSW Police force data from being infiltrated by hackers.
According to Digital Government Minister Victor Dominello, the capabilities of the new cyber security centre will be assisting with safeguarding the nation's important information.
"This is literally the digital version of the cop on the wall making sure they are protecting the people of NSW," Minister Dominello said.
The centre was set up two years ago, after a series of sophisticated cyber attacks targeted the state government and critical infrastructure.
The malicious raids prompted the injection of government funding and brain power to stop hacking in its tracks, particularly for the important information NSW Police have.
NSW Police Minister Paul Toole noted the police systems are critical due to the amount of classified information stored by the department.
"When you look at that – everyone is using a computer, everyone is using a phone, people are wearing body warn cameras, we've got over 5,000 cars that have computers installed in them, we need to make sure we are protecting those systems," Minister Toole said.
The allocated budget will also enable 15 analysts and engineers to be hired to support the 24x7 NSW Police Force cyber security operations centre.
Minister Toole added the operations centre is an "Australian-first" and would "strengthen the Force's cyber security defences by identifying and blocking threats in real time."
The establishment of the facility is a joint project led by the NSW Police Force and Cyber Security NSW and is being funded out of the NSW government’s digital restart fund.
Assistant commissioner Tony Crandell highlights the extreme importance of "our records, our information and our data," further noting "working out who people are is our business" due to the uptick in cyber criminals selling people's information and identity on the black market.
"It is very real the amount of people and actors that are trying to infiltrate us and our footprint in the cyber world is astounding.
"It could affect things like hospitals, people in need of care, people in need of resuscitation," Crandell said.
[Related: Finance apps ‘screen scraping’ bank login credentials, fintech expert warns]
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