The Australian Government has awarded a $6.4 million grant to CI-ISAC Australia, enabling the establishment of a new Health Cyber Sharing Network (HCSN). This initiative is designed to facilitate the rapid exchange of critical cyber threat information within Australia’s healthcare industry, which has become a target for cyberattacks.
The recent surge in cyberattacks on Australian healthcare organizations, including hospitals and health insurance providers, has highlighted the pressing need for enhanced cybersecurity measures. In response, the Australian Government has made healthcare the priority sector for its formal funding efforts.
This grant is part of a broader strategy to address the vulnerabilities in the nation’s health sector and ensure it is better equipped to handle the cyber threats faced by the industry.
A Growing Threat: The Cost of Cybersecurity Breaches
The healthcare industry globally has been facing increasing cybersecurity challenges, and Australia is no exception. According to reports from 2023, the global healthcare sector continues to experience the most expensive data breaches across industries for the 13th consecutive year. The average cost of a healthcare data breach was a staggering AUD$10.93 million, nearly double that of the financial industry, which recorded an average cost of $5.9 million.
Australia’s health sector, which encompasses a diverse range of organizations, from public and private hospitals to medical clinics and insurance providers, is increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats. This sector includes approximately 750 government hospitals, 650 private hospitals, and over 6,500 general practitioner clinics, along with numerous third-party suppliers and vendors.
The creation of the HCSN aims to address these risks by providing a secure, collaborative platform for information sharing. The network will enable health sector organizations to work together more effectively, breaking down silos and improving the speed and quality of cybersecurity threat information exchange.
The Role of CI-ISAC and the Health Cyber-Sharing Network
CI-ISAC Australia, the recipient of the $6.4 million Australian Government grant, will spearhead the creation and management of the Health Cyber Sharing Network. The HCSN will focus on fostering collaboration between Australian healthcare organizations, ensuring they can share relevant cyber threat information in a secure and confidential environment.
David Sandell, CEO of CI-ISAC Australia, emphasized the importance of this initiative: “The health and medical sector holds a large amount of incredibly private and personal medical and financial information. We have already seen several high-profile data breaches in the health sector, and the new network can help members reduce their cyber risks. Cyberattacks can also greatly disrupt important health services, and this industry cannot afford interruptions with patients’ wellbeing at stake.”
The Health Cyber Sharing Network will support the healthcare sector and bolster Australia’s broader critical infrastructure. Many critical infrastructure sectors, including healthcare, are interdependent. By participating in the network, healthcare organizations will contribute to improving the overall cyber resilience of Australia’s critical infrastructure.
Strengthening Cybersecurity Resilience
The new Health Cyber Sharing Network aims to better equip Australian healthcare organizations to manage and mitigate cyber threats. The platform will serve as a ‘neighborhood watch’ for the health sector, where organizations can exchange cybersecurity intelligence and collaborate to identify and respond to threats more efficiently.
Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness CSC, the National Cyber Security Coordinator, expressed the strategic importance of this initiative: “We have seen in recent years the very real impact that healthcare-related cyberattacks can have on millions of Australians. Increasing threat information sharing contributes to the prevention of cyberattacks and builds resilience.”
The Australian Government’s funding is seen as an important step in achieving the nation’s goal of becoming a global leader in cybersecurity by 2030. McGuinness further noted, “Many in the healthcare sector would know well the philosophy that prevention is better than a cure. This also applies to cybersecurity and is the driving concept behind this grant.”
Invitation for Healthcare Organizations to Join the Network
To launch the Health Cyber Sharing Network, CI-ISAC is inviting eligible Australian healthcare organizations and their suppliers to join the network. As part of the initiative, new members will receive a complimentary 12-month CI-ISAC membership, which will provide them with access to a wealth of cybersecurity threat intelligence from across Australia’s critical infrastructure sectors.
By joining the network, healthcare organizations will benefit from closed-source, cross-sectoral cyber threat intelligence shared by other CI-ISAC members, which include organizations with high cyber maturity. This collaboration will improve the detection and response times to cyber threats, ultimately enhancing the security posture of Australian healthcare organizations.
A Trusted Platform for Collaboration
CI-ISAC, as a not-for-profit organization, facilitates collaboration between organizations within a trusted, industry-led environment. This includes the bi-directional sharing of cyber threat intelligence, which is essential for improving cybersecurity across Australia’s critical sectors. The new funding will allow CI-ISAC to expand its educational efforts, offering training on mitigating cyber threats, cyber and insider threat awareness, attack surface monitoring, and improving cyber incident response plans (CIRPs).
The broader cybersecurity ecosystem benefits as well, as CI-ISAC’s members span across 11 critical infrastructure sectors, including government, education, energy, water, telecommunications, and more. Existing members include major organizations such as Google Cloud AU, NBN, DXC Technology, and Transgrid. As the network grows, the value of cross-sector sharing will continue to increase, improving the ability of healthcare organizations to act swiftly and decisively when cyber threats are detected.
“The value for all sectors increases exponentially as more participants join the trusted network and share their own insights,” said Sandell. “Cross-sector sharing improves incident detection and response times, enabling health organizations and their suppliers to act more swiftly on threats observed in other industries.”
Conclusion
This initiative marks an important step forward in protecting the health sector’s sensitive data and ensuring the continued delivery of critical health services. The Australian Government’s $6.4 million grant to CI-ISAC Australia demonstrates the growing importance of cybersecurity within the healthcare sector. The Health Cyber Sharing Network is positioned to become a cornerstone in Australia’s broader strategy to strengthen its cybersecurity resilience and ensure the safety of its most sensitive data in the digital age.
