Cyber security will be among the key topics discussed at the upcoming VTA State Conference, which will be held March 17-19 at Silverwater Resort, Phillip Island.
The provisional conference program will be shared with VTA members, associate members, and other transport industry stakeholders within the coming fortnight.
“In the interim I am pleased to confirm additional details and a keynote speaker to address conference delegates on the fast-emerging commercial threat of cyber security, which over the past 12 months has impacted dozens of public and private organisations, and government departments and agencies,” said VTA CEO Peter Anderon.
“Dr Derek Bopping is the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) First Assistant Director-General and Head of the Melbourne State Office, with a focus on establishing the ASD’s national presence under its Redspice Program, and we’re thrilled to have him present at the conference.”
The VTA says instances of data breaches have grown massively in Australia in recent years in both frequency and cost.
The average cost of a data breach in Australia has grown 32 per cent in the last five years, reaching $4.03 million according to the 2023 Cost of a Data Breach Report.
“The transport industry forms an integral part of Australia’s national security infrastructure and is not immune from cyber threats and foreign ‘actors’ disrupting our systems and processes,” added Anderson.
“It is incumbent on every operator to take appropriate steps to ensure their business is suitably protected, and we are fortunate to have someone with Dr Bopping’s credentials and reputation to inform us on the latest cyber intelligence, best practice, and mitigation strategies and tactics.”
ASD is an Australian Government intelligence agency responsible for cyber security. Its operatives gather foreign signals intelligence through covert information acquisition, which includes intercepting and analysing communications related to national interest issues such as terrorism, weapons proliferation, and cyber threats.
For information and tickets to the VTA State Conference, click here.