Getting regulation right : approaches to improving Australia's cybersecurity / Rajiv Shah

As well as having a global impact, Cybersecurity is one of the most significant issues affecting Australia's economy and national security. Regulation can provide a powerful mechanism to modify incentives and change behaviours. However, securing cyberspace depends on the intersection of many factors-technical, social and economic. Current regulations are a patchwork of general, cyber‐specific and sector‐specific measures with a lack of cohesion that causes overlaps and gaps. That makes the environment complex, which means that finding the right approach that will truly improve overall security and minimise unwanted side effects is difficult. It's necessary to analyse the interconnected factors that determine the net effectiveness of cybersecurity regulations. This paper presents a framework for the government to make appropriate decisions about whether and how to regulate.