Australia's top cyber spies will be working overtime to prop up the defence force as Canberra prepares to handle sensitive nuclear secrets.
The federal government is preparing to receive the US and UK's most guarded nuclear secrets when it acquires nuclear-propelled submarines under the AUKUS agreement.
The head of the Australian Signals Directorate says the cyber spy agency will need to have robust protections in place once the secrets come into Canberra's hands.
"ASD's job will be to support defence to make sure they have the best cybersecurity advice and assistance from us to provide a shield around the protection of those secrets," Rachel Noble said.
"That will most certainly be what the US and the UK expect. How that nuclear propulsion works is one of their most important secrets and one of the biggest warfighter advantages they have."
The spy agency has also warned of a blurring of conventional and cyber war with the conflict in Ukraine bringing the problem to the fore.
It's not only the style of warfare that's been blurry, but the participants as well after cyber criminals and hackers joined the war on both sides with no official state affiliations.
"We've witnessed ... the coalescence of powerful and disruptive cybercrime gangs and nation-states combining efforts," Australian Cyber Security Centre head Abigail Bradshaw said.
But Ms Bradshaw says the situation in Ukraine has also shown the importance of working with the private sector to build cyber resilience.
"That's the most profound lesson for us over the last 12 months," she said.
