Aus3C Cyber Range. Photo and article courtesy of Defence Trailblazer.

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Technology company Cisco joins forces with the University of Adelaide under the Defence Trailblazer to support resilience in the cyber domain

Adelaide, 6 March, 2024 — Australians are no stranger to cyber-attacks and information warfare is now part of the everyday news narrative. For those enlisted to defend our nation, protecting information with secure networks and architectures requires even more resilience in the face of existing & emerging threats. With the growing use of uncrewed systems, military platforms are increasingly using networked sensors for telemetry data. However, new systems bring new vulnerabilities.

A new Defence Trailblazer project brings together experts from the University of Adelaide and industry partner Cisco to develop cutting-edge technologies for secure military platforms.

This project will assess the cyber resilience of the health, usage, and maintenance systems (HUMS) on military platforms. The outcomes will characterise the vulnerabilities of current HUMS systems, demonstrate a deployable solution, and provide recommendations for greater cyber resilience. As outlined in the Defence Strategic Review, resilience enables ability to withstand, endure and recover from disruption.

“We are thrilled to work with Cisco on our first information warfare & advanced cyber technologies project. The project aims to accelerate the translation and commercialisation of cyber technologies to safeguard our nation and remain connected to deliver secure, resilient, and scalable ICT,” said Defence Trailblazer Executive Director, Dr Sanjay Mazumdar.

The project will be led by University of Adelaide’s Associate Professor Hung Nguyen, the Information Warfare and Advanced Cyber co-lead for the Defence Trailblazer.

“My research will apply new advanced algorithms and mathematical models to solve problems in platform security. We focus on developing provable cyber defensive solutions. This means building and configuring systems that are secure by design and training trustworthy AI agents to help defend networked systems. By employing tools from graph theory, game theory and AI/Machine Learning (ML) we can develop practical solutions that help human operators deal with the complexity, fast-paced and deceptive nature of the cyber environments,” said A/Prof Nguyen.

As part of this project, A/Prof Nguyen will leverage a research laboratory at the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre (Aus3C) in Adelaide’s innovation district, Lot Fourteen. Aus3C’s unique ecosystem brings together education, industry, and business to foster collaboration and build sovereign capability.

As an industry partner and global leader in secure networking, Cisco will provide their global expertise in cybersecurity; protecting networks to ultimately help meet mission requirements.

“Cisco is a world leader in secure networking technology, and we are delighted to bring our global innovation pedigree to the Defence Trailblazer program. Cisco‘s Country Digital Acceleration program will enable us to work with defence primes and Australian SMEs to develop real sovereign capability, and we look forward to introducing our existing partners in the Cisco National Industry Innovation Network to the national defence community and Australia’s defence industry,” said Reg Johnson, Director, Education and Strategic Industries, Cisco Australia & New Zealand.

Cisco partners directly with industry and academia in alignment with the Commonwealth’s Cybersecurity Strategy, to facilitate universities generating research income from government and industry, grow cyber security enrolments and support career transitions in cyber security fields and the AUKUS alliance.

About the Defence Trailblazer

Defence Trailblazer is a collaborative partnership between the University of Adelaide and UNSW and over 40 industry partners, with support from the Australian Government Department of Education. The Defence Trailblazer aims to strengthen Australia’s defence sovereign capabilities by developing cutting-edge technologies and solutions, while simultaneously equipping the next generation of innovators with specialised knowledge and skills to meet the current and future needs of Defence.

This Defence Trailblazer is a 4-year program funded by a $50 million grant from the Department of Education and matched by $25 million (cash and in-kind) from each of the University of Adelaide and the UNSW Sydney with an additional contribution of approximately $100 million from industry.

More information: dtb.solutions

About CISCO

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that securely connects everything to make anything possible. Our purpose is to power an inclusive future for all by helping our customers reimagine their applications, power hybrid work, secure their enterprise, transform their infrastructure, and meet their sustainability goals. Discover more on The Newsroom and follow Cisco on X at @Cisco.

More information: https://www.cisco.com/c/m/en_au/niin.html