South Australian company CyberOps is bolstering Australia’s space and defence cyber readiness through a landmark partnership with US-based Kratos Cybersecurity Services.
The collaboration will help Australian businesses meet the stringent cybersecurity standards required to participate in US space and defence supply chains, an essential step for securing Australia’s role in future international space missions.
The partnership combines Kratos’ global reputation as one of the first authorised CMMC Third-Party Assessment Organisations (C3PAO) with CyberOps’ two decades of experience in defence security compliance. Together, they will deliver Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) readiness and advisory services across Australia.
CyberOps CEO and Founder Dr Daniel Floreani said the partnership will equip South Australian companies with the essential cyber credentials to participate securely in international space projects.
“CyberOps is amongst the first Australian providers of CMMC 2.0 readiness and assessment services through our partnership with Kratos, a US-authorised C3PAO,” Dr Floreani said.
“Together, we enable Australian organisations to become trusted contributors to the US defence and space supply chain.”
“Our clients require deep expertise and capability in understanding the US Defence landscape to support their expansion of services or products into the US DoD.”
CMMC is a compliance framework developed by the US DoD to ensure contractors maintain robust cybersecurity standards.
For Australia’s space sector, this is a critical prerequisite for local companies to contribute to projects within US defence and space supply chains, where protection of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) is mandatory.
Meeting CMMC requirements ensures Australian organisations can collaborate securely, maintain eligibility for US contracts and demonstrate the high level of cyber assurance expected under AUKUS and other international partnerships.
Kratos Director of Cybersecurity Services Cole French said the collaboration reflects a shared commitment to strengthening cyber resilience across allied defence and space sectors.
“Our synergy with CyberOps brings together our combined technical expertise and experience in compliance requirements for Defence. This MoU reinforces our shared commitment and collaborative approach in helping Australian businesses excel in the US,” Mr French said.
The partnership, which was formalised at Indo Pacific 2025 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), builds cyber assurance for sovereign space capability and helps secure Australia’s place in the global space ecosystem.
CyberOps has been driving awareness about space cybersecurity for a number of years and in 2023 they created the annual Australian Space Cyber Forum (ASCF) along with a team of South Australian universities and private companies. The forum brings together national and international experts to build an Australian space-cybersecurity ecosystem and tackle past, current, and emerging challenges in the sector.
The fourth ASCF will be held in Adelaide in June next year. To subscribe for ASCF updates or view past programs, visit www.spacecyber.au
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Photo: Representatives from CyberOps and US-based Kratos Cybersecurity Services securing a landmark partnership at the Defence State stand during Indo Pacific 2025 in Sydney.
