Australian Signals Directorate
"Cyberdefence" Australian Signals Directorate  (Intelligence agency)    | |
|---|---|
| Parent organization | Australia |
| Headquarters | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| Leader | Australian Minister for Defence |
The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), formerly the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD), is the federal agency in the Australian Government responsible for foreign signals intelligence, support to military operations, cyber warfare, and information security.
Microsoft to "help" ASD
In October 2023, the American corporation Microsoft signed a $5 billion contract to "help" the Australian government. According to press releases, the collaboration will "enhance the government and Microsoft’s joint capability to identify, prevent and respond to cyber threats, which are growing in both frequency and severity".[1] The director general of ASD, Rachel Noble, said the investments would strengthen the agency’s "strong partnership with Microsoft and … turbocharge our collective capacity to protect Australians in cyberspace".[2]
In 2018, Microsoft accreditation from ASD, allowing it to store highly classified government information up to "protected" level on its Office 365 platform and specific Azure services. When asked by Australian Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John whether the information stored on the Australian instance of the Microsoft Azure Cloud will be able to be accessed by overseas staff, ustralia's Cyber CoordinatorAlastair MacGibbon refused to answer specifically, and said he is satisfied that the Microsoft staff that will have access to data will be "appropriately cleared".[3]
Microsoft also has its tentacles placed in other parts of Australian "cyberdefence", including former Microsoft leader Julie Inman Grant as head censor.
Employee on Wikispooks
| Employee | Job | Appointed | End | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Frewen | Principal Deputy Director-General | 1 March 2018 | 2020 | Later led the National COVID Vaccine Taskforce |
References
- ↑ https://news.microsoft.com/en-au/features/microsoft-announces-a5-billion-investment-in-computing-capacity-and-capability-to-help-australia-seize-the-ai-era/
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/24/microsoft-to-invest-5bn-in-australian-cybersecurity-over-next-two-years
- ↑ https://www.zdnet.com/article/canberra-denies-microsoft-in-breach-of-signals-directorate-conditions/
