The cybersecurity storm brewing in the South Pacific
Australia provides millions of dollars in cybersecurity support to Pacific nations every year. But it may be about to change how that money is spent.
For some time, a storm has been brewing in the Pacific. Amid a geopolitical tussle for influence between China and countries such as the United States and Australia, Pacific nations are facing many threats including climate change and rising sea levels.
But one of the underreported threats to their sovereignty is cybersecurity.
There has been a rapid increase in digital connectivity in recent years, but levels of cyber maturity are low across the region.
With Pacific nations reliant on undersea cables for their internet, they are particularly exposed to data breaches by both profit-driven criminal networks and state actors.
Over the past 24 months, there have been cyber attacks on critical infrastructure and government services in Vanuatu, Tonga, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.
