For the past decade, IDCARE has been providing a human-centered support service to Australians and New Zealanders impacted by scams, cybercrime and identity theft.

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Thanks to a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade contract, it will now be able to investigate expanding this service across the Indo-Pacific.

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AUSCERT and the University of Queensland will also be collaborating with IDCARE to deliver The Cyber and Critical Tech Co-operation Program – providing tailored cyber-crime and online scam response assistance to micro businesses and individuals in Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

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IDCARE’s founder and managing director, Dr David Lacey, said the timing of the partnership was perfect.

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“We know scams and cybercrime are impacting our Pacific neighbours and, as they continue move to an online environment with banking services and shopping, we expect this to increase significantly”, Dr Lacey said.

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“We invited AUSCERT and the University of Queensland to join us in delivering this project because of their recognised expertise in this area and we are excited to have them onboard.”

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Dr Ivano Bongiovanni, General Manager, AUSCERT, Australia's first computer emergency response team (CERT) and one of the oldest CERTs in the world, explains the partners will "examine the applicability of proven Australian cyber security capabilities within an Indo-Pacific context, working to enhance community response and long-term resilience to cyber-crime and online scams.”

“We are delighted to be partnering with IDCARE and the University of Queensland to play a critical role in helping our Indo-Pacific neighbours and bolstering cyber security across the region,” he said.

The Cyber and Critical Tech Co-operation Program is a key component of the Australian Government's plan to demonstrate Australia is no longer a soft cyber security target and further our aim to lead the world in becoming the most secure cyber nation by 2030. 

Professor Ryan Ko, Director of UQ Cyber Research Centre, The University of Queensland reports that the program will include facilitating a range of workshops on the ground in Papua New Guinea and Fiji to better understand local requirements.

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"In collaboration with local business councils and key stakeholders we will tailor and deliver cyber resilience training programs. Overall, we will be exporting Australia's best practices for responding to escalating threat levels and working to strengthen local Indo-Pacific cyber resilience,” he said.

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The project will examine and assess relevant community harms and current response system needs. The partners will then test the application of specialist services in Papua New Guinea and Fiji. The final phase the project will explore future models, including the development of local capabilities for long term sustainability and the potential to expand the program across other Indo-Pacific countries.

Working together IDCARE, AUSCERT and the University of Queensland will also provide cyber security business advisory services in the Indo-Pacific and critical training to uplift local capacity. The project will commence in August 2024 and run for four months. 

ABOUT IDCARE 

IDCARE is Australia and New Zealand’s national identity and cyber support community service. As a not-for-profit charity, IDCARE was formed to address a critical support gap for individuals confronting identity and cyber security concerns. This gap requires specialist identity and cyber security case managers and analysts who can apply a human-centered approach to identity and cyber security. IDCARE supports over 80,000 people a year who experience online crimes of deception, data breach events, and identity theft.
  

ABOUT AUSCERT 

AUSCERT was founded in 1993 in response to an Australian university student hacking a computer system at NASA. This breach triggered a chain reaction to improve information security. In the early 1990’s three Australian Universities came together and formed AUSCERT – the central source for information security and protection. Today, The University of Queensland has embraced AUSCERT as part of their organisation. 

AUSCERT is a not-for-profit, member funded organisation based at The University of Queensland. It provides support to businesses during cyber security incidents, threat intelligence services and ongoing education and development programs.  

AUSCERT’s passionate team of leading cyber security experts deliver 24/7 service to more than 500 members spanning education and training, financial and insurance services, information, media and telecommunications and other key sectors alongside a range of comprehensive tools to strengthen cyber security strategic defences. 

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND 

Ranked in the world's top 50, the University of Queensland is one of Australia's leading research and teaching institutions. We strive for excellence through the creation, preservation, transfer and application of knowledge. For more than a century, we have educated and worked with outstanding people to deliver knowledge leadership for a better world. 

The University of Queensland has a strong focus on teaching excellence, having won more Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT) than any other university in the country and attracting the majority of Queensland's highest academic achievers, as well as top interstate and overseas students. 

The University’s outstanding 332,000+ alumni include a Nobel laureate, an Academy Award winner, and leaders in government, law, science, public service and the arts.  

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IDCARE’s decision to focus on Indo-Pacific regions was reinforced by the impactful stories we heard at the 39^th Australia Papua New Guinea Business Forum & Trade Expo. We are thankful to those who shared their stories with us.  

For media enquiries, please contact Kathy Sundstrom on 0424486115 or kathy@idcare.org

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