“It comes from a wide range of sources, and from adversaries possessing a broad range of skills,” Smith said in a statement. “Cyber attacks are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and targeted. They are no longer confined to random acts of opportunism.”

Smith said the white paper would take account of the fact that cyberspace was a shared domain and that no single nation can address the security challenges alone.

It would also take account of the recent Australia-UK Ministerial (AUKMIN)) talks which committing to the two nations working in “concrete and practical ways” to shape a more secure environment and advance common interests in the area of cyber security.

“Cyber intrusions are an increasing challenge for the security of systems and networks of national importance,” the communiqué issued in January reads. “Australia and the UK are already working closely together to confront the growing threats we face to our cyber security, and it is vital to our wider, shared security and defence interests that we do so.”

Earlier this year Defence also identified electronic warfare, high-end systems integration and software support as