ASD-Microsoft's MACS to cover more federal agencies

A security and threat intel sharing arrangement between the Australian Signals Directorate and Microsoft is being expanded to cover additional agencies, after the vendor agreed to invest more.

The Microsoft–Australian Signals Directorate Cyber Shield (MACS) partnership, established in 2023, covers the co-creation of security solutions and sharing of threat intelligence.

Coinciding with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s visit to Australia, Microsoft said it would invest more into MACS, which would cover an expansion of its reach.

“Microsoft’s investment in MACS will be extended to cover additional federal agencies, delivering improved security configuration and threat visibility across the government’s existing Microsoft technology investment,” the vendor said.

Microsoft said that MACS is already securing about 38,000 Microsoft accounts held by government and public service personnel.

The vendor also said that the partnership had “identified 35 previously unknown vulnerabilities”, and also “delivered a bespoke engineering solution with Microsoft Sentinel” that offers easier integration with the federal government’s cyber threat intelligence sharing program, or CTIS.

In a LinkedIn post, the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) said that “we are now entering the next phase of the program, expanding MACS to more Australian government agencies and further strengthening how threats are identified and managed across government systems.”