cybersecurity
Cyber security

Australian companies are keeping their cyberattacks secret amid a rising ransomeware problem

- September 10, 2021 3 MIN READ

Australia continues to be an easy target for ransomware groups who profit from poor corporate accountability and a culture of secrecy. The number of ransomware incidents affecting local organisations increased by 24 per cent in the first six months of 2021, according to data from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s (OAIC) latest notifiable data breaches report. Unfortunately,… Read more »

smishing
Cyber security

Scammers have moved in on Australia Post’s delivery problems with SMS ‘flubots’

- September 3, 2021 3 MIN READ

Australians must be extra cautious about what messages they click on in coming weeks, after Australia Post’s three-day hiatus on package pickups created a new window for cybercriminals tweaking the Flubot ‘smishing’ attack to tap uncertainty around COVID test results, vaccines, and deliveries. More than 5,500 Australians have told the ACCC Scamwatch service that they have received text… Read more »

News & Analysis

A cyber attack downed the NSW Education Dept website just as the government ordered schools to switch to online teaching

- July 9, 2021 2 MIN READ

The NSW Department of Education was hit by an apparent cyber attack on Wednesday. In a notice published on Thursday, the department said it took precautionary measures, shutting down many of its systems including the online portal teachers were using in preparation for the new school term. “The timing of this creates considerable challenges for… Read more »

Atlassian
Cyber security

Researchers found a cybersecurity flaw in Atlassian software that left it vulnerable to account takeovers

- June 29, 2021 2 MIN READ

Atlassian products were vulnerable to a hack that could have seen attackers gain access to user accounts, cybersecurity analysts found. Researchers from security firm Check Point discovered a set of flaws which, if exploited, would have enabled bad actors to take over the accounts of Atlassian products like Jira and Bitbucket. The researchers found the training.atlassian.com subdomain… Read more »

AFP, arrest, Ironside
Data privacy

How busting organised crime globally was done with an app born ‘over a few beers’ with the FBI

- June 9, 2021 4 MIN READ

Australian and US law enforcement officials on Tuesday announced they’d sprung a trap three years in the making, catching major international crime figures using an encrypted app. More than 200 underworld figures in Australia have been charged in what Australian Federal Police (AFP) say is their biggest-ever organised crime bust. The operation, led by the… Read more »

UpGuard, cybersecurity, US
Funding

Australian insurer IAG doubles down on cybersecurity startup in $25 million raise

- June 8, 2021 2 MIN READ

Insurance giant IAG’s VC arm, IAG Firemark Ventures, has led a US$19 million (A$25m) series “B-1” raise into Australian cybersecurity startup UpGuard. Firemark was among several investors backing the nine-year-old business once again, including Pelion Venture Partners, Square Peg Capital and August Capital, bringing the total raised to A$59 million, following a previous raise in… Read more »

butcher, abattoir, meat, beef
Cyber security

The meat processor behind Primo and Hans has closed 47 sites after a cyber attack took out its IT

- June 1, 2021 2 MIN READ

A cyber attack on US meat processing company JBS Foods, which owns the brands Hans and Primo, forced the closure of 47 facilities around Australia on Monday. The attack was confirmed by JBS Australia CEO Brent Eastwood who spoke to industry news site Beef Central, saying he was unsure how long the outage would last. In a… Read more »

cybersecurity
Cyber security

It’s been a great year for cyberhackers trying to crack open financial services

- May 26, 2021 3 MIN READ

Banks, investment firms and other financial services and insurance (FSI) companies suffered from a massive boost in cybercriminals’ attention during 2020, according to a new analysis that identified 3.4 billion credential-stuffing attacks targeted at FSI firms alone. That included a 45 per cent year-on-year jump in credential stuffing – in which cybercriminals use stolen login credentials to… Read more »

cybersecurity
Cyber security

Security flaws in Microsoft’s Exchange software reveals key issues in Australia’s cybersecurity approach

- March 15, 2021 3 MIN READ

On March 2, 2021, Microsoft published information about four critical vulnerabilities in its widely used Exchange email server software that are being actively exploited. It also released security updates for all versions of Exchange back to 2010. Microsoft has told cybersecurity expert Brian Krebs it was notified of the vulnerabilities in “early January”. The Australian… Read more »

Opinion

Australia’s cybersecurity strategy is more about policing and intelligence than preparing business against attacks

- August 12, 2020 3 MIN READ

Australia’s long-awaited cybersecurity strategy, pledges to spend A$1.67 billion over the next ten years to improve online protection for businesses, individuals and the country as a whole. The lion’s share of the cash will go towards policing and intelligence, with smaller amounts set aside for a grab bag of programs from cybersecurity training to digital… Read more »

cybersecurity
Opinion

Australia’s new Cyber Security Strategy is lacking precision when it comes to execution and outcomes

- August 7, 2020 3 MIN READ

The Australian Government released Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy for 2020 this week. It outlines an investment in our nation’s cyber capabilities of $1.67 billion over the next 10 years, advocates for collaboration, and articulates actions required across government, businesses, and the community to make Australia more resilient to cyber incidents. The strategy is a win for… Read more »

cybersecurity
Opinion

A cyberwar could cost Australia’s economy $30 billion, but a loss of public trust could be an even bigger threat

- July 16, 2020 3 MIN READ

The Australian Cyber Security Growth Network (AustCyber) on Monday released a report modelling the potential impact of cyberattacks and sustained digital outages on Australia. The Digital Trust Report’s modelling suggests four weeks of partial “digital disruption” could displace up to 163,000 jobs and damage the economy to the tune of A$30 billion. According to AustCyber’s… Read more »

News & Analysis

Australia’s new cyber defence training centre is up and running

- July 9, 2020 2 MIN READ

The Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre is officially opened in Adelaide to further vital work to protect against attacks. Established as an independent not-for-profit entity through a $10 million investment by the South Australian government, the centre is located in Adelaide’s Lot Fourteen innovation neighbourhood and will concentrate on training cyber experts and developing security products.… Read more »