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Royal Australian Navy Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Jaimie Hatcher AO, DSC, has been appointed as strategic adviser for Australian cyber security business CSO Group.
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Hatcher will advise on business security outcomes, future cyber security needs and identify gaps in government, commercial, and societal cyber security systems.
He has previously spent 36 years with the RAN in a range of national security roles, the National Security Division of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, as Capability Director for Australia’s Air Warfare Destroyer program, and as the Australian Defence Force Deputy Chief of Joint Operations. He was also appointed project lead for the review of the ADF’s contribution to the Defence Cyber Enterprise and part of a consortium providing national cyber security risk advice to the New Zealand government.
“Nation states saw the opportunity that cyber space presented more than 20 years ago, particularly to support espionage activity, now however we’re seeing a significant increase of state-sponsored or supported actors, some involved in military offensive planning and operations,” he said.
“It is notable that some nation states are increasingly willing to engage these services, and this has expanded to cyber criminals.
“This proliferation has led to the industrialisation of cyber crime, where the barrier for entry and cost is now incredibly low, certainly lower than our society’s current ability to defend against it.
“Virtually anyone can leverage AI tools to create malicious software or even buy it cheaply on the dark web. Motivation, not skill, is now the key driver of cyber criminal activity and Australia needs to respond to that reality.
“It’s promising that Australia’s governments are making cyber security centrestage across the national security landscape. This is an important message for all Australians to understand.
“Organisational and security leaders know people are the gateway to most cyber issues, either by accident or design, but when businesses and government have large or dispersed workforces, including working from home, it’s harder to zero in.
“Throughout my former military career, I’ve strived to serve and protect Australia and all Australians. I firmly believe malicious cyber activity is one of the most important emerging threats to this country and its economy, and I hope to support CSO Group’s approach and proven expertise to make a positive difference.”
CSO Group chief executive officer Michael Simkovic said Hatcher will bring significant cyber security experience to the company.
“Jaimie brings a nation state security view to the industry, which is how our most critical national institutions need to think about security,” said Simkovic.
“We are seeing increasing risk to Australia’s economy, our government institutions, and general way of life.
“We need to focus on outcomes and culture, not just the transaction of security products and services.
“We all have a role to play in elevating Australia’s sovereign security posture.”
Australian organisations need a more coherent system level approach to cyber security, particularly for governments, critical infrastructure providers and their supply chains, given the threat from nation states, he said.
