The National Office of Cyber Security (NOCS) develops a range of resources to support government and industry to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from cyber security incidents.
The Australian Cyber Response Plan (AUSCYBERPLAN)
The
Australian Cyber Response Plan (AUSCYBERPLAN) outlines the Australian Government’s various cyber incident response coordination arrangements, describes response activities covered by those arrangements, and identifies the departments and agencies responsible for those arrangements.
AUSCYBERPLAN is the national plan for cyber incident hazards categorised as crises under the
Australian Government Crisis Management Framework (AGCMF).
The AGCMF defines cyber incidents and designates the following for coordinating responses to cyber incidents:
- the Minister for Cyber Security as the Lead Minister
- the National Cyber Security Coordinator (the Coordinator) as the Lead Coordinating Senior Official
- the NOCS in the Department of Home Affairs as the Australian Government Coordinating Agency.
AUSCYBERPLAN is also complementary to the
2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy and the
Cyber Incident Management Arrangements (CIMA). Together they outline the national technical response arrangements.
Playbooks
The NOCS’ Playbooks are an initiative under Shield 4 of the 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy. The playbooks are high level guides that outline:
- how the NOCS will coordinate the national response
- consequence management activities for a cyber incident impacting an entity in the sector
- how the NOCS will support the impacted entity, government and broader industry response.
Impacted entities should report cyber incidents to ASD before telling the NOCS. To report a cybercrime or a cyber security incident, visit the
ReportCyber website.
The NOCS can support any organisation experiencing a cyber security incident that:
- meets the threshold of national significance or national interest
- needs coordination for consequence management activities
- impacts on critical infrastructure or government assets or data or multiple sectors or jurisdictions
- has potential to cause significant harm to Australians, their businesses, or critical infrastructure.
The playbooks are living documents that the NOCS have developed in consultation with key government and industry stakeholders. We will review them routinely reviewed and update them following incidents, exercises and feedback.
We will develop more playbooks in consultation with government and industry stakeholders and add them to this page. For more information about the playbooks, contact the NOCS at NOCS.OperationalPlanning@homeaffairs.gov.au
The Australian Cyber Workforce Playbook
The Australian Cyber Workforce Playbook, developed by the Executive Cyber Council’s Cyber Workforce Working Group, stands as a significant resource for advancing sovereign capability under Shield 5 of the
2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy. It demonstrates a firm commitment to cultivating a resilient, purpose-driven cyber workforce that will reinforce economic stability, foster innovation, and promote diversity within the sector.
The Playbook is a resource developed by industry, for industry, to address a range of needs for human resources professionals and technical leaders, offering guidance on organisational design, workforce development, cyber roles, and skills-building. It outlines entry pathways for new talent and highlights the importance of diversity and inclusion in the cyber sector.
The Voluntary Code of Practice for Cyber Incident Response Providers
Under Horizon 1 of the
2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy, the Australian Government committed to providing business and community leaders with greater confidence when they engage cyber security professionals to support them during a cyber security incident. This includes co-designing a Voluntary Code of Practice for Cyber Incident Response Providers (the Code).
The Code has been co-developed by the NOCS and ASD and has been extensively consulted across industry. The Code aims to provide clarity around expected service quality and professional standards of cyber security incident response providers.
