Australian telecoms to face stringent cybersecurity reporting requirements
Telecoms will be required to report their cybersecurity strategies and any cyber incidents, including ransomware demands, to the government.
In a bid to curb the rising cyberattacks in Australia, the Australian government proposed to introduce more stringent cybersecurity incident reporting requirements by telecommunications companies.
Speaking to ABC, Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil shared that ‘The rules will make sure that telcos actually meet the minimum cyber standards that were applied to many other critical Australian companies.’ O’Neil continued: ‘It will require them to properly consider all of the risks on their networks and to establish proper cyber defences, report ransomware demands.’
The proposed law classifies telecommunications companies as critical infrastructure. Boards of such companies will be mandated to report to the government on their cybersecurity strategies, and cyber incidents, including ransomware demands.
O’Neil added, ‘Now our government is stepping up, we are setting tough new laws for our telco companies to make sure that these companies are properly protecting the cybersecurity of Australian citizens and their data.’
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