How Australian directors can manage evolving cybersecurity compliance obligations

Cyber compliance is now a director’s duty. Boards must act or risk facing legal consequences, warns Ramtin Diznab, founder and CEO of Cybertify.

Presented by Cybertify

Cybersecurity is no longer a back-office technical matter.  It is now a board-level responsibility with increasing legal, regulatory and reputational consequences.

Recent enforcement actions by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), including proceedings against RI Advice and FIIG Securities, have set a clear precedent: directors must be able to demonstrate informed oversight of cyber risk, supported by credible, organisation-wide controls.

Boards are now expected to formally integrate cyber risk into their enterprise risk management frameworks.

Key legal obligations include:

• Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)
• Section 180: Director duty of care and diligence
• Section 912A (applicable to AFSL and ACL holders): Efficient service delivery, adequate resources and risk management systems
• Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)

These developments are compelling boards to rethink how they invest in cyber strategy. The market is shifting away from reactive, IT-led approaches and moving towards governance-aligned, legally grounded cybersecurity programs.

Compliance-first model

At Cybertify, we define this as a compliance-first model. Every control, policy and system we implement is directly aligned with regulatory expectations, statutory obligations and audit requirements.

This stands in contrast to some traditional models, which often prioritise infrastructure over accountability or tools over assurance.

Cybertify serves sectors with the highest compliance exposure, including financial services, healthcare, legal, aged care, education and technology. These industries face overlapping legal duties, sector-specific obligations and heightened community expectations.

Our solutions are never generic. Each engagement is tailored to the client’s regulatory context, size, data sensitivity and governance requirements. What distinguishes Cybertify is not tooling or automation. It is our legal literacy and our investment in elite talent. Our team combines experts in governance, cybersecurity and regulatory compliance.

This enables us to deliver programs that are operationally robust, legally defensible and ready for regulator or board scrutiny.

Cybersecurity governance is now a legal obligation. Boards must demonstrate not only intention, but execution. Cybertify ensures they can do both.