NZ's GCSB expands cyber defence services

New Zealand’s Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) is expanding its Malware Free Networks cyber defence initiative to cover a wider selection of nationally significant organisations.

The GCSB will offer its threat detection and disruption service to a range of organisations following a successful pilot with Vodafone NZ and a group of the company’s consenting customers.

Selected organisations include government departments, key economic contributors, niche exporters, research organisations and operators of critical national infrastructure. They were identified through a process led by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

The service will be rolled out to these organisations over the next two years. The GCSB will first develop a plan for how it can work with telecoms network operators to deliver the expanded service.

The GCSB already provides its CORTEX advanced cyber defence capabilities to a range of nationally significant organisations.

According to Minister Responsible for the GCSB Andrew Little, the pilot with Vodafone showed that the service has the potential to disrupt a significant volume of malicious cyber activity.

“There was a substantial increase in the volume of activity detected and disrupted when the Malware-Free Networks information was used in conjunction with the network operator’s existing cybersecurity capability,” he said.

“Expanding this service will significantly increase the range of organisations receiving the cyber defence services government offers New Zealand’s organisations of national significance through the GCSB.”

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