讀後心得

The diagram of a cyber attack shows that the hacker group APT40, funded by the Chinese Communist Party, launched an attack on Australia, prompting Australia to initiate the "Sea-Pac" program to enhance regional cyber security. This program will continue until 2028, focusing on capability building and responding to cyber attacks, while emphasizing cooperation and information sharing between the government and businesses. Watson also pointed out that Australia will actively confront cyber threats and strengthen its cyber defenses through international cooperation to ensure the cyber security autonomy of various countries.

Network attack illustration. In July 2024, the Australian government publicly announced its responsibilities along with other partner countries of the "Five Eyes Alliance," revealing that the Chinese Communist Party-funded hacker organization "Advanced Persistent Threat 40 (APT40)" launched cyber attacks against Australia. In response to this challenge, Australia will introduce the "Sea-Pac" program with Indo-Pacific countries to assist other nations in the region in enhancing cybersecurity. Scholars emphasize that the key to cybersecurity lies in intelligence sharing and call for cooperation among multinational corporations.

Following the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, the Australian Cyber Security Centre issued a statement indicating the involvement of China's Ministry of State Security in malicious cyber operations, with its cyber attack techniques widely adopted by hacker organizations such as APT40. Moreover, investigations have revealed that APT40 is tasked by the Ministry of State Security of Hainan Province of China. Recently, officials from Australia's Department of Foreign Trade mentioned during a visit to Taiwan that the Australian government has observed not only APT40's cyber espionage activities in the Indo-Pacific region but also "pre-deployments" on critical infrastructure networks, which pose a higher-level threat to telecommunications, power, and healthcare infrastructure.

Watson introduced that the Australian government plans to officially launch the "Sea-Pac (Southeast Asia Pacific Cyber Program)" policy in 2025. This initiative will be based on the actual needs of partner countries and will adopt a public-private partnership approach, with the government and trusted industry partners jointly advancing the enhancement of cybersecurity technologies. This program is expected to continue until 2027 or 2028, focusing on improving the cybersecurity expertise and response capabilities of regional government personnel while establishing rapid deployment mechanisms. Additionally, it will assist countries in formulating long-term cybersecurity policies and governance frameworks to ensure regional resilience.

Watson mentioned that in the future, when assistance is needed in a certain country, experts from the industry and government representatives will form a response team, dispatching technical teams to collaborate with local governments to assess the impact of attacks and develop remediation measures; this cooperation mechanism not only relies on internet and telephone communication but has also achieved good results after initial operations. Previously, the Australian government released a new version of the "National Cyber Security Strategy" in 2023, aiming to enhance public and corporate awareness of cybersecurity risks, with future hopes to legislate to require companies to report incidents and expand this work to the Indo-Pacific region.

Furthermore, Watson mentioned that Australia holds a "Pacific Cyber Capacity Building Conference" every two years, aiming to gather regional nations to discuss specific needs in cybersecurity resilience. In the face of cyber attacks, alliances have become an international trend. Researchers indicate that the core of cybersecurity lies in intelligence sharing and involves extensive participation from both public and private sectors.

Additionally, Huesch pointed out that both the government and industry believe in sharing information but often face misunderstandings that hinder cooperation. For example, Taiwan's semiconductor industry is closely related to national security, yet how to involve small and medium-sized enterprises in cybersecurity collaboration remains a significant challenge. Huesch also emphasized that from the perspective of individuals and companies, cybersecurity should not only address external threats but also focus on identifying and repairing internal system vulnerabilities, citing the successful experience of the UK in raising security awareness among small and medium-sized enterprises.

In light of the global rise in ransomware, Watson noted that over the past two years, Australia's telecommunications and health insurance institutions have suffered data breach attacks, and the government has frozen the assets of suspected parties and issued travel bans. Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom will also jointly sanction global cybercriminals to enhance awareness and response capabilities regarding cyber threats across various sectors. To address threats from hacker organizations like APT40, Australia is collaborating with allies and regional partners through capacity building, promoting public-private cooperation, implementing cyber sanctions, and enhancing international collaboration to collectively build a secure cyber defense.