Stories about: ASIO

Roles and responsibilities in the Australian IT security landscape are in confusion following the formation of yet another official IT security organisation.

In what is likely to be his last Budget between the Prime Minister's office or the back bench, Treasurer Peter Costello has bet the farm on a series of across-the-board tax cuts, backed by an ambitious series of welfare reforms where big picture IT simply does not figure - at least not for this year. IT Minister Helen Coonan's portfolio is marginally poorer, while security agencies including the Department of Immigration and Attorney have walked away with significant funding boosts for biometrics, identity management and data-drilling.

Australia's chief law officer, Attorney General Philip Ruddock, has delivered the stiffest warning yet to Australia's business community that IT security must be taken seriously by the captains of industry, or enterprises will suffer the consequences.

Sometimes you have to feel a little bit sorry for the fine folk at ASIO. No matter how good their year has been, they never get to celebrate their successes or victories. Such is the nature of the intelligence profession you never let the enemy know your strong points. And then there is the annual journalists' picnic: the annual report from the Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS), Ian Carnell, which chronicles errors and failures of the Australian Intelligence Community.

Domestic spy agency the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) has again bugged the wrong people or bugged without proper legal authority because of errors originating from its automated telephone interception system.

In a scorched earth budget that has spent $8.39 billion of surplus taxation revenue to appease voters, the federal government will spend more money than ever on new technology to nail down security - and new security to nail down technology.

Missing backup tapes from the Prime Minister’s office, cleaner’s removing PCs from the Attorney General’s department, laptops stolen from staff cars and homes while couriers mysteriously lose hardware in transit, are just a few of the extraordinary incidents a parliamentary committee heard last week.

Federal Attorney General Daryl Williams has won an award for "his long record of profound disregard for privacy".

Managed security services company 90East could be the only remaining 'true blue' Australian IT security provider to federal government agencies such as the Department of Defence if beTrusted's $110 million bid for SecureNet is approved.

Global managed security beTrusted announced yesterday that it intends to make a cash offer for all shares in ASX-listed managed security services provider, SecureNet.

Microsoft's controversial Palladium security initiative's ability to kill off the antivirus industry by eliminating vulnerabilities lies within the same realm of probability as a collision between the earth and the moon.