The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) has launched a new recruitment campaign to bolster its ranks of software developers.
The agency is responsible for providing information security guidance across the Australian government as well as responding to significant cyber security incidents.
Last year Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed that the ASD also houses an “offensive cyber capability” that can be drawn upon when responding to attacks on Australian networks.
“While cyber security measures sit at the forefront of our response to cyber threats, defensive measures may not always be adequate to respond to serious cyber incidents against Australian networks,” Turnbull said during the launch of the government’s cyber security strategy.
As part of implementing the strategy, the ASD last year staged a recruitment campaign to help boost Australia’s offensive and defensive cyber capabilities.
In addition to software developers, that campaign targeted offensive cyber operators, penetration testers, vulnerability researchers, and network and system admins.
Last month the government announced that the ASD had been cleared to use its offensive cyber capabilities to target “organised offshore cyber criminal networks”.
“The use of offensive cyber capabilities is one of the options the government is pursuing as part of a broader strategy to prevent and shut down safe havens for offshore cyber criminals,” the minister assisting the prime minister for cyber security, Dan Tehan, said.
The ASD is currently seeking “software developers with a range of experience, including university graduates and seasoned professionals, for projects in computer and network security contexts”.
The agency is seeking devs with a range of skills, including C, Java and assembly programming; software analysis and optimisation; understanding of big data technologies; understanding of operating systems internals, driver and kernel programming for Windows, Linux or Unix; vulnerability analysis and auditing; mobile and embedded system design and development; and parallel or multiprocessor development.
The ASD said that majority of developer positions will be located in Canberra, with some in Sydney.
The ASD is accepting applications until 8 September.