CSIRO seeks new CISO

CSIRO is on the hunt for a standalone chief information security officer, after two years of security coming under the remit of the CIO.

The scientific agency has begun recruiting for a security chief to report to CIO Brendan Dalton, telling iTnews it hopes to fill the position within three months.

“Duties of the CISO will include managing the cyber security structure at CSIRO and helping to drive a culture of cyber security awareness and accountability with the support of our existing cyber security teams,” a CSIRO spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that the recruitment process “will take some time” but that the organisation hopes to fill the role by August.

The CISO role was previously held by Damian Walker between September 2019 and September 2021.

He then took on the role of cyber security special advisor for a further six months before leaving CSIRO entirely in March 2022.

The CISO responsibilities were then assumed by CIO Dalton.

Dalton clarified on LinkedIn that his time as joint CIO and CISO was used "to reassess the [CISO] role while [CSIRO] ramped up our cyber capabilities and a cyber uplift program."

"We’ve made some really great hires and are very thankful for the Australian Cyber Security Centre's support and guidance," Dalton wrote.

"As is always the case in these jobs, much more to do, but there's a solid platform for the new CISO to move us further forward."

According to a job description, the new CISO will be tasked with managing CSIRO’s cyber security program, including integration with overall protective security.

They will also oversee cyber security and crisis leadership, governance across the organisation and stakeholders and threat monitoring.

“The CISO will drive cyber security innovation, keeping abreast of the changing threat landscape and regulatory frameworks,” the description added.