Australia needs to better secure its online world with improved cooperation between key players or we will suffer the consequences, says a group of cyber security experts from Charles Sturt University (CSU).

"Our trust in securing the information, funds and goods that are all available via the Internet will be decidedly diminished if we cannot maintain security against so-called 'cyberweapons' that may be wielded by protagonists, who may have military or criminal intent," said Mr Shannon Ford, an academic in intelligence and security studies with CSU's Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security.

"Recent events have created a broad debate on what personal data governments should be legitimately able to access, and what reasonable expectations private citizens should have regarding their personal data. Our views on what is public and what is private have changed rapidly in recent years due to the radical changes in information and communication technologies."

Speaking at the launch of a National Security College occasional paper Cybersecurity – Mapping the Ethical Terrain, to which he was a contributing author, Mr Ford highlighted the need for governments, intelligence communities, infrastructure developers and corporations to share their understandings on cyber security issues.

"By talking together, we gain a clearer picture of what is normal and acceptable behaviour when dealing with cyber security issues and we can develop appropriate rules," he said.

"This is especially important in such a rapidly evolving and novel space like cyber security.

"By sharing we can also minimise the risk of overreaction by responsible authorities and improving use of resources."

Mr Ford believes targeted research to better understand the political, social and economic dimensions and implications of cyber security and insecurity is the first step for policy-makers, intelligence analysts and crucial technical operators to develop a common understanding of the dynamics of cyber security.

Report co-author Mr Levi West, CSU lecturer in terrorism and security studies, believes academic research that informs education and professional development can also play a central role in developing this shared understanding.

"Post-graduate courses and professional development programs offered by Charles Sturt University, in Canberra are essential to building and enhancing the cyber literacy of government, and expanding the number of cyber literate professionals in government and beyond," he said.

 "As the nation-state is forced to incorporate cyber capabilities into its arsenal it is imperative that we take a rigorous and critical approach, and that we invest in the development of a cyber literate cohort of cyber policy professionals and analysts."

The occasional paper was launched at a forum in Canberra at the National Security College, Australian National University, which was opened by former head of the Australian Federal Police, Associate Professor Mick Keelty, now with CSU.