Rachel Noble, the director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), has expressed concerns about internal threats.

ASD, a crucial intelligence agency within Australia's Defense portfolio, is responsible for foreign signals intelligence, cybersecurity, and offensive cyber operations. 

In a recent profile piece, Noble praised her senior executive team, highlighting the importance of trust, clear accountability, and teamwork. 

She said it is vital to avoid single points of failure and ensure that multiple team members are informed about critical issues.

When it comes to hiring, Noble said she values individuals who are passionate about contributing to national security, but said she has to focus on preventing insider threats.

“The thing that might keep me awake at night, especially in intelligence agencies, is the risk of insider threat,” she said. 

“We are very careful and have a lot of checks and balances in place so the people who join us at ASD are not going to be susceptible to approaches to leak our secrets.

“The world’s history shows the biggest catastrophe for intelligence agencies is when one of their very own doesn’t maintain loyalty and patriotism and chooses to invest in themselves rather than their country.”