An Analysis of Cyber Security Measures in Australia: A Research Paper

This research paper investigates the significance of cyber security, particularly in the Australian context, where the increasing use of the internet necessitates robust protective measures. It examines the Australian government's initiatives to combat cyber crime, protect data, and maintain information privacy. The study employs exploratory research with a grounded research method and secondary research using books, journals, and online sources. The paper analyzes various cyber security measures implemented by the Australian government, while also highlighting the importance of knowledge awareness campaigns among Australians to enhance their ability to respond to cyber attacks. Key topics covered include the meaning and importance of cyber security, the risks associated with cyber crime, and an understanding of Ransomware and ROPEMAKER. The research emphasizes the need for both government and private sector collaboration, and individual awareness in order to effectively reduce the risk of cyber security threats. The paper underscores the growing dependence of businesses on the internet and the increasing number of connected devices, making cyber security a critical issue for individuals, organizations, and the nation's financial and reputational well-being.

RESEARCH PAPER

Abstract
Cyber security has become an important aspect of networking due to common usage
of internet by every second individual. Further, involvement of business and using it for the
purpose of transfer of information has made it much more crucial than before. There are
various types of malwares that are already present in the country forcing the authorities to opt
for the measures that can help in combating the issue effectively so that it cannot damage
financial and reputational aspect of individual, organization or a country.
The research paper throws light on significance and importance of cyber security
measures being launched by the Australian government with the aim to protect its crucial
data. It helps in maintaining the privacy of information being shared between two individual
or a group. An exploratory research based on grounded research method theory in order to
study the viability of the study in effective manner. Further, a secondary research has been
conducted to assess where data has been collected through books, journals and varied online
sources. Based on the findings of the research paper, it can be interpreted that there are
various measures that have been taken the government of the country. However, it lacks in
knowledge awareness among Australians. It is important for the country to opt for
appropriate knowledge awareness campaign so that they can be aware of different measures
that be taken by them at the time of cyber attack. Further, they will also be able assess that
what steps are required to be taken by them if any cyber attack has already take place. The
study will prove to be useful to all the internet user.
Introduction
Cyber security is an often used term referring to protection of network, computers,
and data from any attack, damage or any attempt to unauthorized access. The term is majorly
used in the context of computing. There are various methods that are used by the country to
protect the data. Cyber crime department of Australia is quite active which makes harder for
the cyber criminals to attack on personal or important data that any person does not want to
share.
Another important term in cyber security is Ransomeware which is a type of
malicious software from cryptovirology. It limits the users from using their systems. It can be
done either by locking their screens or locking the files of the users unless or until a ransom is

not paid by victim. It is spread through email attachments, infected apps of the software and
external devices and unprotected websites as well (Gupta, Agrawal, and Yamaguchi, 2016).
Another significant term is ROPEMAKER which is also known as, Remotely
Originated Post – delivery Email Manipulation Attacks Keeping Email Risky.
ROPEMAKER is the intersection of web technologies and email which is specifically used
for Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) used with HTML. It changes the content being delivered to
the user with the aim to add malicious URLs and corrupt records. It can change the content
into a corrupted one. The hacker just change the URL being sent to the user with corrupted
one which has already being delivered to the inbox of the user.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has managed to bring out effective
capabilities of cyber security with the help of Australian government. It is collaboration of
public and private sector which is established to combat cyber crime. One of the initiatives of
Australian government is Australian Cyber crime Online Reporting Network (ACORN)
which helps people in reporting cyber crime incidents faced by them (About the ACRON,
2017). It further helps them to save themselves from cyber crime activities and assists them in
avoiding these types of circumstances. It is a key initiative from National Plan to Combat
Cyber crime which shows that how hard the Australian agencies are working so that they
make Australia a hard to target country. It further provides assistance in common forms of
cyber crime such as online scams, online fraud, theft of personal information, hacking and
attacks on computer systems. It has made reporting the cyber crime easier and convenient for
the Australians.
The main aim of the research paper is to assess the state of modern cyber crime and
related prevention management taken by the authorities. Through this research paper it will
be easy to discuss various measures being adopted by the Australian government to combat
cyber crimes in the country. Further, the paper will also ponder on common malwares
available such as Ransomeware and ROPEMAKER. The paper will help in fulfilling the
following objectives:
 To understand the meaning and importance of cyber security
 To evaluate the risk associated to cyber crime
 To understand of Ransom ware in cyber crime
 To understand the meaning of ROPEMAKER in cyber crime
 To evaluate varied prevention management techniques related to cyber security.

In order to deliver the answer of the aim to the readers, an exploratory research has been
conducted based on grounded research method theory. Secondary research method has been
used to assess the state of modern cyber crime and related prevention management measures
being taken by the authorities. Views, ideas, and researches of several authors have been
compiled to reach to an effective and reliable conclusion.
Literature review
Meaning of Cyber Security and Cyber crime
According to Wang and Lu (2013), Cyber security is termed as a network of
technology that is primarily used to protect the network, computers, personal information and
other data from any attack, damage and unauthorized access to some one’s computer. It is
inclusive of both cyber and physical security. The basic elements of cyber security includes,
 Application security
 Information security
 Network security
 Business continuity planning and disaster security
 Operational security
 End user education
The major risk associated to cyber security is the constant changing and evolvement of
security risks. In order to successfully come out of this situation, advisory organizations are
opting for proactive and adaptive approach to solve the problem. However, in contrast to
this, as per the views of Liu and et.al. (2012), awareness regarding the matter plays an
important role to cope up with the issue. People must be aware of its implication and how it
can affect their lives. Further, various measures must be adopted by the individuals to save
themselves from any cyber crime.
According to Choo (2014), cyber crime refers to computer related crime. These are
the offences committed by individual or a group against anybody with the motive to
intentionally harm the reputation of the victim. It can cause mental or physical harm with the
help of modern telecommunication techniques such as internet. However, in comparison to
this, as per the views of Anwar and Mahmood (2014), the main impact of cyber crime lies on
security and financial health of the nation. There are various high profile crimes related to

cyber which includes, hacking, copyright infringement, mass surveillance, etc. Cross border
crimes are also common in few cases at the time of war in order to destruct country’s
financial health and reputation.
According to Bada and Sasse (2014). Crime related to computers or any other
information and communication technology (ICTs) which includes, hacking or stealing
business information, online fraud and theft of identity etc.
Importance of cyber security
As per the views of Australia’s cyber security strategy (2016), internet based
economy is growing faster in comparison to that of global economy. Poorly handled cyber
security erodes the trust of the people on this aspect of the business. Government is also
trying to improve the mobile technology interference to drive better experience to people. It
has been seen that 90% of the business of Australia will be online by 2017.Further, 2 out of
every 3 person have social media account. Majority of the Australian spent more than one
day online per week. The market which is connected to home devices is going to increase by
11 folds by 2019.
According to Singer and Friedman (2014), business sector is also highly dependent on
internet where it is found that 84% of the Australian Small and medium Enterprises are
online and do not lead their business through offline mode. It is estimated that by 2019, an
average household of Australia will have 24 devices connected online. However, in contrast
to this, as per the views of Collins (2016), it is important for the Australian government to
come up with better option that can help in coping up with cyber crimes. Further, only
government alone cannot solve the issue rather private companies are also required to opt for
better opportunities. In addition to this, essential role is played by the different organizations
and individuals as well in order to effectively reduce the risk of cyber security.

Figure 1 Australian figures at a glance
Source: Australia’s cyber security strategy, 2016
As per the views of Atoum, Otoom and Abu Ali (2014), there is an increase in the
cyber crime incidents in the country compelling the government to take appropriate actions
regarding it. Over 9500 cyber crime incidents have been reported to the Australian Cyber
crime Online Reporting Network in its first 3 months of its operations. The Australian
Signals to Directorate has answered to approximately 37% more cyber crime incidents in
comparison to the data of 2014. The scope of cyber crime is not limited to mobile phone and
computers but its scope has risen to devices that can get connected to the internet which
includes TV, car, fridge and other medical equipments.
Risk associated to cyber crime
According to Cybercrime - In the top 5 risks faced by Australian business in 2015,
(2015), cyber crimes have become quite common which is computer related fraud, violation
of security networks and hacking. There are various risks associated to cyber crime. Cyber
attack in law firms can lead to theft of personal, sensitive, and confidential information. It can
also leak confidential communication between the client and the lawyer. In addition to this,
external access to the personal and financial data of the client, employees and third parties
can also affect the financial and reputational sustenance of the firm. In contrast to this, as per

the views of Abawajy (2014), the Australian government has also passed new law regarding
cyber crime through Cyber crime Legislation Amendment Bill 2011 by amending different
acts in the same.
According to Robinson and et.al. (2013), Different businesses are targeted by the
criminals with the help of Denial of Service (DoS) botnets, worms, spear phishing and drive
by exploits. Australian company Allianz Global Corporate and Speciality (AGCS) has
successfully launched Alianz Cyber Protect in the market of Australia which helps in
protecting themselves against cyber criminals, potential ramifications, and loss of data.
Ransomeware in cyber crime
According to Gupta, Agrawal and Yamaguchi (2016), Ransomeware is referred to as
a type of malicious software associated to cryptovirology that threatens people to publish
personal data of the victims or block its access if a certain amount of ransom is not paid. It
makes the victim’s files inaccessible and demands certain amount to decrypt the same. Trojan
is majorly used to carry out Ransomeware. However, the success of the attack may largely
depend on motivation of the hackers. It restricts the usage of the victim for which the person
can come in direct contact with the local authorities to solve the problem. However, in
contrast to this, as per the views of Andress and Winterfeld (2013), individuals and
companies can use the following prevention tips in order to reduce the impact of
Ransomeware on the daily business operations. Some of them are mentioned below:
 Keep back up of the files which can be stored on cloud or another can be stored in
physical form through pen drive, thumb drives etc. It is important to disconnect these
devices from the computer otherwise the data in these back up devices can also be
infected. These devices can further be used in other computers to make safe access to
the data.
 Use of robust and latest antivirus software in order to protect the attack of this
software. Individual must always switch on the heuristics function as it can assist in
getting new and altered sample of ransomware.
 Do not share the passwords and username of your personal accounts. Further, do not
access any malicious inks that can lead to attack of the hacker. In addition to this, the
individual must also beware of unsolicited mails and any other unsafe links and spam
mails received on emails.

 If any unknown procedure noticed on the computer or any other ICT machine that can
catch any virus, it is important to disconnect it immediately through the internet or
any other network connections such as, wifi in order to prevent the infection from
spreading out in all the files of the machine.
ROPEMAKER in cyber crime
ROPEMAKER is the intersection between emails and web technologies specifically
to Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) which is used with HTML. The use of these web technology
help in making the e mails ore visually attractive and dynamic in comparison to the normal e
mails. However, it also leads to openness towards exploitable attack on the web. The
attackers changes the content of the email with the malicious one which already being
delivered to the user. ROPEMAKR refers to Remotely Originated Post-delivery Email
Manipulation Attacks Keeping Email Risky. It was discovered by a security researcher
Mimecast. However, in contrast to this, as per the views of Jang-Jaccard,and Nepal (2014),
the attacker can change the URL used in the email to any other bypassing spam and security
filters. It has been found out that CSS are stored remotely that further contributes in changing
the content as well. Another form of ROPEMAKER was named as ‘Matrix Exploit’ in which
attacker writes a matrix of text in an email and then can control the display of the text in the
email through CSS.
According to Liu and et.al. (2015), clients of web based emails like Gmail, iCloud and
Outlook are not affected by this type of malware. However, users of desktop and mobile
version of Apple Mail, Microsoft Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird are greatly affected by
ROPEMAKER attackers.
Cyber Security strategy of Australia
According to Collins (2016), it is important to elevate the cyber security capabilities
of the country which has become an essential aspect of life. The main themes of action for
cyber security of Australia for 2020 includes,
 A national cyber partnership
 Strong cyber defences
 Global responsibility and influences
 Growth and innovation
 A cyber smart nation

Each theme will be supported by the actions of the government to attain its objectives
ensuring that there will be elevation in cyber security of the country. Australian cyber
security system is considered as one of the strongest system which is hard to break. Further, it
is also considered as resistant to cyber attacks.
According to Singer and Friedman (2014), Collected statistical will help the
government and individuals in delivering the best to the Australians. Government is planning
to sponsor research in order to find out different types of malwares and its impact on the lives
of people. It will further contribute in finding out the solution to the existing problems as
well. The government is also planning to co design the guidelines of cyber security with the
help of private sector companies so that it can be brought into practice for the Australians. In
addition to this, boosting the capacity of Australian Cyber Security Centre so that cyber
crimes can be responded back is another measure adopted by the government. In this manner,
it will be easy to combat with the risk associated to cyber security.
Prevention management measures taken by Australian government
According to Liu and et.al. (2012), prevention is an important aspect that is required
to be considered by the government in order to save data from cyber attacks. One such
initiative taken by the Australian government includes, Australian Cyber Security Centre
(ACSC). It can into being in November 2014. It makes sure that the data is protected and
adequate steps are taken to save the data from hackers. The main role of ACSC is to raise the
awareness of cyber security among the citizens. Further, it plays vital role in encouraging
people to report cyber security incidents so that adequate steps can be taken from their side. It
analyses and investigates on possible cyber threats. However, as per the views of Choo
(2014), the main role of ACSC is to identify malicious activities on the digital format
conducted by foreign hackers through its advanced analytic capabilities and technological
procedures.
According to Bada and Sasse (2014), there are various other authorities of the
government that are working upon the cyber security of the country. One such organization is
Australian Cyber crime Online Reporting Network (ACORN) which helps people to securely
report or lodge complain regarding instances of cyber crime. It is further responsible to create
awareness among people so that they get to know about different aspects of importance of
cyber security and possible measures that can be taken by them. However, as per the views of
Collins (2016), ACORN is responsible to provide information to people regarding how to

recognize and avoid common cyber crime practices such as hacking, online frauds and scams
identify thefts and attack on computer systems etc. It also gives advice to fallen victims. The
website is user friendly and make sure that every cyber crime incident is reported by the
Australians.
According to Australia’s cyber security strategy (2016), another important initiative
taken by the Australian government to combat cyber security includes, CERT Australia. It is
an Australia’s official national Computer emergency response team (CERT) which is an
initial point of contact to the incidents of cyber crime taking place in Australian network. It
works with private sector in order to identify critical infrastructure and systems that plays
vital role in the nation’s interest which further helps in protecting their infrastructure from
any cyber threat and attack and vulnerabilities. However, in contrast to this, as per the views
of Cybercrime - In the top 5 risks faced by Australian business in 2015 (2015), OnSecure is
another vital Australian government initiative which provides an online community portal for
information security professionals who work for the government and carry the data that is
utmost important for the nation.
Findings and Discussions
Cyber security is an important aspect of networking where it becomes necessary for
the authorities to save personal information of people from hackers. The awareness level
among the people of Australia is low and it has been found that out of every 3 people, two are
connected to the internet in one or the other way. Hence, the literature review suggests that `it
is important for the authorities to opt for better knowledge awareness campaign to increase
the understanding with respect to the malwares and cyber security (Jang-Jaccard and Nepal,
2014).
The most common malwares in Australia includes, Ransomeware and
ROPEMAKER. Ransomeware is when the attacker blocks the access to the files and asks for
ransome in return of a certain amount of ransom. However, ROPEMAKER is when the data
and URLs of the mail body is changed by the hackers after it has already been delivered to
the user. There are various preventive measures that can be adopted by the user which
includes usage of web based email services, backing up of data, disconnecting the internet if
any unwanted activity is noticed etc. These procedures save the lost and theft of data further
helping the victims.

It is important to understand the concept of cyber crimes and security as there are
various risks that are associated to it. It can harm the financial and reputational aspect of the
individual or a group. If a bigger picture of the concept is seen it can also affect the financial
health of the nation if any important data or secret information has been stolen by the country
with who the home country is in war. The literature review suggests the information must be
saved from attackers by using robust anti malwares so that no personal information is stolen
and lost.
Australia is involved in preparing the strategies that can help in lowering down the
impact of available malwares in the country. It has become necessary because most of the
businesses available in the country are totally dependent on internet. Hacking and cyber
attacker can reduce the output leading to slowing down the growth of the country and it’s
GDP. Further, another important aspect noticed in the literature review suggests that
investment in research by the government in order to find out the available malwares and its
impact. The research will then proceed to find out the solution through which the impact of
the virus can be reduced without affecting the desired data. However, in contrast to this,
comparing it with the literature review, there are certain malwares that are difficult to combat
by the individual and hence it becomes important to take preventive measures from the
concerned authorities.
Government authorities of Australia have come up with an initiative which is
Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) which helps in protecting the data from the
hackers. The main aim of this initiative is to create cyber awareness among the citizens of
Australia. It has proves to be an effective initiative which has created knowledge awareness
to some extent. Another important initiative by the Australian government is Australian
Cyber crime Online Reporting Network (ACORN) (Andress and Winterfeld, 2013). It helps
the citizens of the country to report the crime so that appropriate actions can be taken.
Possible solutions can be found out by the authorities regarding the subject. Comparing the
facts to the literature review, it suggests that these initiatives acts as a preventive measures
that can be adopted by the citizens in order to combat cyber crimes.
Conclusion
Based on the research paper it can be concluded that important measures have been
taken by the government of Australia as a preventive measure in order to cope up with cyber

crimes in the country. An exploratory research has been conducted in order is to assess the
state of modern cyber crime and related prevention management taken by the authorities.
Secondary method of research has been adopted to study the relevance of the topic and its
impact in the practical sense. Further, in order to study the topic in detail, a literature review
has been conducted studying different, articles, books, and journal and through online
sources. The scope of research is quite wide as all the amendments have been made in the
cyber law of Australia.
Different themes moving from narrow to wider perspective has been created to assess
the state of modern cyber crime and related prevention management taken by the authorities.
Starting from the meaning and importance of cyber security and cyber crimes, preventive
measures taken by the government have been studied. Moving further to the findings and
discussion part it was found that people lacks in the knowledge with respect to the cyber
security. It is important for the government to opt for knowledge awareness campaigns in
order to develop the awareness regarding cyber security and preventive portals being
launched by the Australian government. Further, it has been found that various portals have
been launched by the government such as Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) and
Australian Cyber crime Online Reporting Network (ACORN) to combat cyber security. The
paper also discusses different malwares that are quite common in the country such as
Ransomeware and ROPEMAKER. In the case of any attack from any of the malware, it is
important for the people to know that to whom they have to report to and what measures are
required to be taken by them in order to combat the issue in effective and efficient manner.
In the end it can be concluded that there are various preventive campaigns launched
by the Australian government further leading to combat modern cyber crime techniques.

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