(June 6th, 2016) Major Gen. Stephen Day, the former head of Cyber and Information Security at the Australian Signals Directorate, says that a trusted and ethical cybersecurity industry is vital to Australia’s socio-economic well being and national security.
General Day discussed America’s heightened awareness of cyberattacks; that there is a real concern about the threat of an attack in the U.S., in stark comparison to Australia.
“Out of this {the U.S.} atmosphere, one tinged with a little bit of fear, has arisen some less-than-honorable businesses and business practices. There is a risk that the reputation of the cybersecurity industry could be harmed, and if that happens then the industry will be kept at arm’s length, and that is in no one’s interests.”
“If you are a cybersecurity vendor and you have a single technical product offering, do the right thing and explain to your customers that your offering will work best when it is part of a bigger plan,” he said. “If you are a consumer of cybersecurity products, and you have a vendor that insists that they have a single silver bullet solution, then you’re probably best off showing them the door.”