Agency fights cyber spies

AUSTRALIA'S electronic spy agency is repelling 200 cyber attacks a month on critical Defence networks, as foreign hackers try to gain access to our military secrets.

The shadowy Defence Signals Directorate has also been called in by other arms of government to deal with hundreds more cyber security threats.

Defence Minister John Faulkner revealed the scale of the online assault facing Australia at the opening of the DSD's new $14 million Cyber Security Operations Centre in Canberra.

"Cyberspace is a battlefield itself," he said. "Cyber intrusions on government, critical infrastructure and other information networks are a real threat to Australia's national security and national interests."

With a staff of 51 hi-tech spooks, growing to 130 within five years, the frontline cyber warfare centre will fight attacks on critical government and civilian networks. heraldsun