The Australian government will grant $6.4 million to the Critical Infrastructure – Information Sharing and Analysis Centre (CI-ISAC) Australia, to establish a new health-focused cyber security information-sharing network amid rising concerns over healthcare data breaches.
The Health Cyber Sharing Network aims to protect Australia's 1400 hospitals and 6500 general practitioner clinics from cyber threats through enhanced collaboration and intelligence sharing.
"The health and medical sector holds a large amount of incredibly private and personal medical and financial information," David Sandell, chief executive of CI-ISAC Australia, said.
Global healthcare data breaches cost an average of $10.93 million in 2023, nearly double the financial industry's average of $5.9 million.
"We have seen in recent years the very real impact that healthcare-related cyber-attacks can have on millions of Australians," lieutenant general Michelle McGuinness CSC, national cyber security coordinator, said.
"Increasing threat information sharing contributes to the prevention of cyber-attacks and builds resilience," McGuiness added.
The new network offers eligible healthcare organisations and suppliers complimentary CI-ISAC membership for 12 months to encourage participation.
Members gain access to cross-sector cyber threat intelligence from CI-ISAC's existing network of more than 100 organisations across critical infrastructure sectors.
The initiative includes education on threat mitigation, cyber training, attack surface monitoring, and improved incident response planning.
CI-ISAC currently serves members across 11 critical infrastructure sectors, including major organisations like Google Cloud AU, NBN, and NextDC.
"The value for all sectors increases exponentially as more participants join the trusted network and share their own insights," Sandell said.
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