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Australia is a ‘hacker’s paradise’ as universities hand out ‘junk’ cybersecurity degrees – leaving businesses vulnerable, experts say
- Experts call on Australian government to regulate cybersecurity qualifications
- Fear that ‘junk’ cybersecurity degrees leave companies vulnerable to hackers
- Some uni’s have created diplomas from scratch, leaving graduates with no experience
- Experts say courses should be standardized to improve educational outcomes
- Warning comes after major Optus hack saw personal details of millions stolen
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Pictured: Australian Information Security Association president Damien Manuel
The Australian government must step in to regulate cybersecurity qualifications over fears that junk-grades leave businesses vulnerable to attack, says a leading industry think tank.
Some universities have created specialized cybersecurity degrees from scratch. Others have simply added a cybersecurity unit to an existing course and labeled it a separate degree.
Damien Manuel, president of the Australian Information Security Association, said companies struggled to fill vacant cybersecurity positions because many graduates lacked knowledge or experience.
“Students could, to some extent, waste their time getting a tertiary education that doesn’t lead to a job,” Mr. Manuel told AAP.
‘There really needs to be some standardization or transparency to help improve the quality of those courses and the educational results.’
Mr Manuel said Australia is now at risk of Optus-style data breaches every few months (pictured, an Optus store in Sydney)
Mr Manuel made the remarks as more than 4,000 industry leaders gathered for Australia’s 2022 cyber conference in Melbourne.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and 2022 Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott addressed the crowd on Tuesday, which often referred to the recent Optus hack.
Mr. Manuel said staff shortages pushed up the wages of good cybersecurity workers.
He said they are more likely to be hired by larger institutions such as banks than by small and medium-sized companies, which may be in their supply chain.
“You have thousands of all these suppliers, who may not have perfect security because they can’t afford to get someone.
Albanian government is currently rethinking its cybersecurity strategy for 2020 and seeking industry feedback on its direction (stock image)
“That creates a weakness that could leave the bigger banks vulnerable or a bigger supplier, like an Optus or a Telstra,” he said.
Mr Manuel said Australia is now at risk of Optus-style data breaches every few months.
“While last month it was Optus, Telstra, you know, next month it could be some kind of retailer,” he said.
“I’d say it’s more likely to happen every few months than in the longer term.”
The Albanian government is currently rethinking its cybersecurity strategy for 2020 and is asking the industry for feedback on its direction.