G-G Cosgrove sets up cyber fortress

Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove is no stranger to cyber-warfare having been Defence chief, but now he is building his own cyber-fortress.

Peter Cosgrove.

Peter Cosgrove has spent over $100,000 on a cyber-fortress at his official residences. (AAP)

Former defence force chief and now Governor-General Peter Cosgrove has spent over $100,000 on a cyber-fortress at his official residences in Canberra and Sydney.

Sir Peter, who took on the vice-regal role in March, has long had an interest in cyberwarfare and cybersecurity.

The latest annual report of his office said a new computer operating system had "enabled the office to improve its security posture".

This included putting in place recommendations of the Australian Signals Directorate, one of Defence's secret intelligence agencies, to "mitigate targeted cyber intrusions".

The report said a new secure internet gateway has been installed as well as a new "mobility system" to securely use smart phones and tablets.

The AusTender website showed that the governor-general's office spent almost $92,000 on installing a secure wifi network, $13,600 on improving the security of software, almost $14,000 on iPhones and almost $20,000 on an Apple iPad Air wifi system.

On top of this, the office benefited from a whole-of-government scheme - the cost of which was unavailable - to roll out secure co-ordinated telecommunications services, software and hardware.

As chief of the defence force, Sir Peter took a close interest in the growing threat of cyberwarfare.

Last year, he wrote an article for the book, Future Proofing Australia, in which he said: "In this cyber age an enemy can lurk in the hard drive we bump our knees on as we sit at our computer.

"Our time and distance from trouble spots or belligerent countries is no longer measured ... in the flying time of jets but in the blinding speed of missiles."


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