Qld govt sets up dedicated cyber protection unit

The Queensland government will spend $12.5 million over four-and-a-half years to establish a dedicated team combating cyber threats and attacks on the public sector’s networks.

The announcement comes just months after the websites of the Queensland Department of Education and state's TAFE fell victim to an attack, which saw assailants access more than 6000 complaints and other types of feedback entered by students and parents via the online portals.

It admitted the records included allegations of sexual assault and dated back as far as 2013.

The new unit will be set up inside the government chief information office, led by GCIO Andrew Mills.

The money will pay for a boost to “front-line” cyber protection in charge of responding to major incidents, as well as liaison with agencies to help them better secure their own IT environments.

The team will advise government on its cyber protection needs, but Mills insisted agencies would retain ultimate responsibility for their own IT security.

“We want to protect against future cyber attacks of government systems and data, provide leadership and support to agencies and strengthen their capability to respond to potential security threats,” IT minister Leeanne Enoch said.

“These are not necessarily criminals from our own backyard, potential threats could come from anywhere in the world and we need to understand these threats as they arise.”