With a new team at the helm, Deakin’s Centre for Cyber Security Research is contributing to research to help protect Australians against cybercrime.
Deakin University’s Centre for Cyber Security Research (CCSR) is contributing to Australia’s national cyber security strategy as one of a number of universities, research institutions, industry partners and government agencies forming the recently announced Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre (CyberCRC).
The biggest collaborative investment in cyber security to date between industry, government and universities, the $139M CyberCRC will focus on critical infrastructure security – including energy, water, communications and finance – cyber security as a service, and developing the next generation of cyber security researchers and technologies. The CyberCRC will also work closely with the Cyber Security Growth Network (AustCyber) to help deliver the Federal Government’s cyber security strategy and foster a strong cyber security sector.
“The technological revolution society is experiencing will fundamentally alter the way we live, work and interact with one another. The risks associated with the increased dependency on these digital systems and applications now and in the near future, heightens the importance of cyber security for the nation,” the Director of Deakin’s CCSR, Damien Manuel, said.
“All levels of the Australian government recognise the importance of cyber security and are moving to address the challenges with industry and academic partners. Deakin is well positioned in this area for two reasons: we are one of the first universities to provide cyber security education in Australia, and we have outstanding research capabilities.”
Mr Manuel, who took on the role as CCSR Director in July this year, is also Chair of the Australian Information Security Association (AISA), a not-for profit organisation which aims to improve cyber security in Australia at a government, industry and community level.
He has more than 20 years of experience specialising in cyber security, business governance, compliance and risk management and was previously Chief Information Security Officer for Symantec Australia and New Zealand. He has also held senior roles at NAB, RSA, Telstra and Melbourne IT and is a member of the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) Executive Advisory Committee.
Mr Manuel has also established IT community resources centres to improve literacy and skills in impoverished and disadvantaged communities in Kenya, Laos, Uganda and Cambodia.
CCSR Deputy Director Professor Matthew Warren is Professor of Cyber Security at Deakin’s School of Information Technology and a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society. His research focuses on cyber security and computer ethics and he is the author or co-author of over 300 books, book chapters, journal papers and conference papers. He has received numerous grants and awards from national and international funding bodies and taught in Australia, Finland, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.
Adding to the expertise at CCSR is Research Director Alfred Deakin Professor Wanlei Zhou. Professor Zhou and his research team have recently been awarded a $300,000 Linkage Grant from the Australian Research Council (ARC) to automate privacy processes within cloud sharing communities across countries.
Over the three-year project, the researchers will use machine learning and data mining to develop intelligent systems that can preserve individual privacy and take into account the privacy laws of individual countries.
Mr Manuel said that CCSR sits within a cutting-edge technology ecosystem created by Deakin’s world-class capabilities in cloud and mobile computing, software development, pattern recognition and data analytics, smart environments, robotics, haptics and human/machine interfaces.
[testimonial_text]Our customer focus, practical and theoretical research excellence, multidisciplinary expertise, access to the state-of-the-art facilities and vast industry and academic networks means we’re uniquely positioned to deliver the value of research to industry, business and project investors.[/testimonial_text]
[testimonial_picture name=”Mr Damien Manuel” details=”Director of Centre for Cyber Security Research”]
[/testimonial_picture]Building on the success of Deakin’s research and projects with both industry and government partners, CCSR will continue to focus on seven key areas in cyber security:
- Privacy, Identity and Trust Management
- Secure Design, Tooling and Engineering
- Malware, Scams, Forensics and Incident Management
- Cybercrime, the underground economy and technology for law enforcement
- Data and Policy Management
- Risk Management, Business Resilience, Economics, Regulations and Society
- Cyber Security for Critical Infrastructure, Health & Education sectors (IoT)
Deakin’s role in cyber security innovation has been highlighted recently with the announcement of the University’s new Bachelor of Cyber Security. Deakin has partnered with technology giant Dimension Data, the Victorian Government, NAB and ANZ to secure jobs for successful graduates of the unique degree, which includes industry certifications and internships.
Deakin’s School of Information Technology was this week awarded the title of Information Security Educator of the Year at the AISA National Conference on Cyber Security.
Main photograph: (left to right) Alfred Deakin Professor Wanlei Zhou, Mr Damien Manuel and Professor Matthew Warren.
Published by Deakin Research on 13 October 2017
