NCSC capability wins Best Product or Service at security industry awards

Malware Free Networks, a new cyber defence capability developed by the Government Communications Security Bureau’s (GCSB) National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), has won “Best Security Product or Service” at the annual iSANZ cyber security industry awards.

The awards were announced at a function in Wellington last night.

The Malware Free Networks (MFN) capability enables the NCSC to provide cyber threat disruption information to industry partners, who then use it to protect their customers’ networks.

Lisa Fong, NCSC Deputy Director General, says the award recognises the importance of collaboration and partnership between government and the private sector to increase New Zealand’s cyber security resilience.

“We are really proud of what we have been able to achieve in using MFN to scale our cyber defence impact.

“We recognised the key to that was working in partnership with the private sector, providing them with high-quality cyber threat information which they can readily use to help protect their customers, in tandem with other commercial products.

“Through our MFN partners we are able to take cyber threat information from a range of sources, including the operation of our own capabilities, and from our international partners, and use it to help defend New Zealand organisations.

“When we launched MFN in November last year, we knew this would be a real step change for New Zealand’s cyber security posture, and our ability to have impact at scale and speed would grow enormously,” Ms Fong said.

Since then, MFN has disrupted more than 200,000 cyber threats.

“We now have 12 partners offering the service and are working with a range of other providers to enable them to incorporate MFN into their product offerings,” she said.

The iSANZ award judges noted that MFN helps defend against an evolving range of cyber threats and has increased the cybersecurity resilience of many New Zealand organisations.

They commented on the strength of MFN’s design and implementation, and its ability to improve security across the country while also protecting the privacy of users.

(external link)Read more information about Malware Free Networks

Media contact: media@nzic.govt.nz

ENDS