Cheap IT hardware infects Australian govt agencies

Australian Shadow Defence Minister David Johnston will seek to introduce new cybersecurity auditing powers into the Trusted Information Sharing Network (TISN) after ministerial advisors reported that government agencies have bought cheap foreign IT hardware loaded with malware. The TISN is a government forum for sharing data pertinent to national cybersecurity between the public and private organisations in seven industries including banking, health, food and utilities.

The reforms would allow the TISN to harden baseline security standards required to interact with government. Johnston said he intends to push a ban on government agencies shirking expensive but trusted technology brands for cheap white-box goods after unnamed departments had discovered backdoor malware in computers, servers and processor chips. Backdoor malware can provide an access point through which criminals can access and steal data, often silently. Johnston told an audience of cybersecurity experts in Canberra that he will seek to reform procurement practices and enforce minimum security standards to help build Australia's cybersecurity 'fortress'.

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