Australia to deploy cyber experts across Pacific nations amid growing online threats

ANKARA

The Australian government has decided to set up roving cyber experts teams and deploy them to the Pacific Islands nations to help them overcome growing online threats by criminal organizations and hostile states, local media reported on Wednesday.

Canberra will spend over AUD $26.2 million (approximately $17 million) to establish "rapid assistance" teams while another AUD $16.7 million ($10.7 million) to help Pacific nations identify online vulnerabilities and trial solutions, ABC News reported.

Some Pacific Islands countries were hit by ransomware attacks and recently Fiji Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica said that cybercrime was an "increasing threat to their administrations" across the Pacific.

Australian Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts said that cyberattacks were the "fastest growing threat" to the Pacific's national security.

"As Pacific Island nations realise their economic ambitions and develop their connectivity, their exposure to that threat grows," ABC News quoted Watts as saying.

"So the Australian government knows we have to lift our engagement to ensure we consolidate our position as partner of choice for the Pacific family when it comes to building resilience to these threats," Watts added.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid