Cyber threats real, warns GCSB boss
An average of seven serious cyber attacks a month are being detected by the so-called ‘‘cortex’’ programme operated by spy agency the Government Communications Security Bureau.
New GCSB boss Andrew Hampton said the attacks were carried out by foreign agents and targeted ‘‘nationally significant’’ organisations. That was just a typical month. The nature of the cyber security threat was one of the more disturbing revelations in his first month on the job, Hampton admitted.
‘‘Remember we’re not focused on the stuff your [computer] virus scanner picks up – we’re focused on high end foreignsourced complex and persistent stuff.’’
There were also about 12 reports a month from other agencies of ‘‘cyber incidents’’ – incidents that were serious enough to reach a certain threshold. ‘‘The nature of the threats we face as a country has made me quite focused on my role and the importance of it.’’
Cortex is the name given to the GCSB run programme to counter cyber threats to organisations of national significance, such as operators of critical national infrastructure.
The programme aims to intercept malicious software, or malware, and is subject to warrants and access authorisations approved by the minister responsible for GCSB.
Hampton said the instigators of those attacks could be any foreign source, and were hard to track.
‘‘You may get an attack from one country and coming from somewhere else. And you may have people who have had some involvement in Government and are now working for themselves as a hired gun.’’
He said the focus on GCSB in recent years had been centred on its role in foreign intelligence gathering. ‘‘But we do have a third role, cyber security and information assurance. That is a big part of the business.’’
The risks were real, and not just to big organisations, Hampton said.
When he was offered the GCSB job, he weighed up his personal security. But the reality was his personal information was the most likely target. ‘‘The risks are more likely to be on the cyber side than anything else.
‘‘Someone trying to hack into my computer and it may not be one of those foreign-sourced threats. Maybe just some smart person wanting to show they can do it.’’