CANBERRA, Australia - Even as the war against ISIS intensifies on ground in both Iraq and Syria - Australia has now said that it has been waging a cyber war against the world’s most dangerous terrorist group. 

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in a message to the parliament on Wednesday that in addition to supporting allied forces in Iraq and Syria in the war against ISIS, Australia is using offensive cyber capabilities to fight the war in the virtual world.

Turnbull added that the country’s cyber war was making a real difference to operations in Syria and Iraq and was subject to international rules of engagement.

“I won't, for obvious reasons, go into the details of those operations, I can say that they are being used, that they are making a real difference in the military conflict and that all offensive cyber activities in support of the Australian Defence Force and our allies are subject to the same rules of engagement which govern the use of our other military capabilities in Iraq and Syria, such as our F18 Hornets,” Turnbull explained.

In April this year, Turnbull had launched the government’s $230 million Cyber Security Strategy under the guidance of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) to acknowledge its offensive cyber capabilities. 

No country in recent times has invested such a high amount in dealing with cyber threats. Even America, which has been targeted several times over the last few years, hasn’t invested such a huge amount to bolster its cyber defense.

Then in July, a massive recruitment drive was held to strengthen the unit.

Turnbull emphasized in a ministerial statement that all offensive cyber operations were “subject to stringent legal oversight” and “consistent with our support for the International rules-based order and our obligations under international law.”

He acknowledged the fact that cyber-warfare was fairly new but he believed it was of increasing importance.

Acknowledging the hurdles that have been faced, he said, “Increasingly widespread use of encrypted communications platforms makes the detection and interception of terrorist communications far more difficult. Human intelligence and the strong relationships and trust on which it depends are more important than ever.”

Meanwhile, agreeing with Turnbull, opposition leader Bill Shorten said that ISIS could use every possible tool at their disposal to spread hatred and destroy innocent lives. 

Shorten said, “It is vital we continue to enhance the reach and flexibility of our cyber security capabilities.”

Domestically, the country has faced several cyber attacks including a massive attack on its Defence, Meteorological Department and Austrade. Approximately, 1,095 security incidents on Government systems were recorded in the last financial year.

While Shorten agreed with the PM on neutralizing Islamic States’ cyber capabilities, he also called for improved cyber security in the domestic business sectors, especially the small and medium-sized businesses.  

“They need help in the way that's simple enough for them to incorporate it into their business and that they can afford. This means having the resources to design cyber defences for products, processes, and people,” Shorten said.

He further claimed that trust and collaboration should be present in every cybersecurity conversation as no government could act alone to combat threats.

"We must collaborate with the private sector, sharing information and strategies, learning from each other's successes and the failures," Shorten said.

Adding, “That is true for our collaboration with international peers, we must seek a new layer of engagement with our old allies and partners, recognizing the frameworks and treaties written for a Cold War world need to be updated for an age where people can Google bomb-making instructions and 3D print guns," he added.

As the global warfare has changed from hand-to-hand battle to cyber warfare, Australia’s advancement in cyber security is important to prevent the country's government and non-government agencies and institutions from attack, Shorten stated.

"We've seen large-scale attacks and initiatives carried out around the world, perhaps most noticeably in the United States. In the past year alone, we've seen Austrade, the Bureau of Meteorology, and the Department of Defence targeted,” said Shorten.

While Turnbull called for intensified cyber warfare against ISIS, the Cyber Security Minister, Dan Tehan warned that the country’s defence against cyber attacks needed improvement to keep up with growing online crimes and espionage. 

According to him, Australia is still vulnerable to serious cyber attacks.

Addressing the National Press Club on Wednesday, Tehan said cyber attacks had the potential to cause equal damage as a terrorist act. 

He said, “Cyber storms will continue to happen around the world. Malicious state actors are actively using cyber technology against our government and our businesses. Cyber crime is growing; hackers are still trying to prove that no system is secure. Let's be under no illusion, a serious cyber attack has the potential to cause the same damage as a terrorist attack.”

Greg Austin, a professor of cyber security at the University of New South Wales praised Tehan for his frank approach to the threats and said, “The Minister made a great breakthrough in public policy for Australia by being much more open with the Australian public about the threat about extreme cyber attack. He called his address 'cyber storm', and that's the sort of understand that the Australian public needs about the type of threat we face.”