Alastair Macgibbon
Cyber security

Tech giants are ‘wilfully blind towards criminality on their sites’ says Australia’s former cybersecurity boss

- November 1, 2024 3 MIN READ

Social media companies are being “contemptuous” to the Australian people and have done “nothing” to help protect their users from scams and crimes, according to former government cyber security tsar Alastair MacGibbon. MacGibbon, who after a 15-year career with the Australian Federal Police served as special adviser to the Prime Minister on Cyber Security and… Read more »

digital ID
Cyber security

Australia’s digital ID plan doesn’t meet global privacy standards- here’s what the government need to do to fix that

- October 30, 2024 3 MIN READ

Australia’s new digital ID system promises to transform the way we live. All of our key documents, such as driver’s licences and Medicare cards, will be in a single digital wallet, making it easier for us to access a range of services. The federal government is still developing the system, with a pilot expected to… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

‘Near tech’ workers are the solution to Australia’s cyber security & AI skills shortfall: ACS

- October 23, 2024 3 MIN READ

Australia is struggling to find technology workers with the right cyber security and artificial intelligence skills but could tap 1.1 million “near tech” workers with similar capabilities to reskill and support the workforce, the 10th annual ACS Australia’s Digital Pulse report has found. Demand for cyber security skills has increased by 80% in Australia since… Read more »

Cybersecurity
Cyber security

Cracking your first job in cybersecurity can be hard – here’s how to do it

- October 18, 2024 7 MIN READ

Despite Australia’s everlasting cyber security skills shortage, graduates and industry newcomers are struggling to get a foot in the door. AustCyber’s latest Sector Competitiveness Plan showed some 125,791 people were employed in the Australian cyber security workforce in 2022, with 51,309 of those workers in roles with a “dedicated focus” on cyber security. Meanwhile, it’s estimated 85,000… Read more »

smart devices connected at home
Cyber security

The Australian government wants to set minimum cybersecurity standards for smart things in your home

- October 16, 2024 3 MIN READ

The Australian government has introduced its first-ever standalone cyber security act. Along with two other cyber security bills, it’s currently being reviewed by a parliamentary committee. Among the act’s many provisions are mandatory “minimum cyber security standards for smart devices”. This marks a crucial step in defending the digital lives of Australians. So what devices… Read more »

Cyber security

Industry lobby group Australian Cyber Network launches in the wake of AusCyber’s demise

- October 14, 2024 3 MIN READ

Australia’s cyber security industry has welcomed a new advocacy and growth champion with the launch of the Australian Cyber Network (ACN) – a not-for-profit set to pick up where its predecessor AustCyber left off. Launched Wednesday at Parliament House in Canberra, ACN said its goal is to address the “current and future needs” of Australia’s cyber security… Read more »

Man holding a smartphone and viewing messages on mobile phone. Fake Text message SMS scam or phishing concept.
Cyber security

Why the Australian government’s proposed scam prevention plan needs a broader scope

- September 17, 2024 3 MIN READ

The federal government is stepping up its fight against scams, which last year cost Australians more than A$2.7 billion. On Friday, the federal treasury released a draft scam prevention framework. The government said the plan is: an economy‑wide reform to protect the Australian community from scams. It takes a whole‑of‑ecosystem approach to reduce gaps which… Read more »

Abigail Bradshaw,
Cyber security

Australia’s new chief cyber spook has $10 billion to tackle a massive problem

- August 28, 2024 3 MIN READ

The selection of Abigail Bradshaw as the new head of Australia’s cyber spy agency, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), sends a strong message. It confirms the government’s increasing intelligence focus on domestic cybersecurity, both to disrupt foreign influence operations and to promote better protection of our national cyber systems. The ASD is so far succeeding… Read more »

Surveillance room
Cyber security

Why trust and protection from government snooping are central to its digital ID plans

- August 14, 2024 3 MIN READ

On Tuesday, Australia’s minister for government services, Bill Shorten, announced the federal government is developing a new digital identity and credential system. Known as the Trust Exchange (TEx), Shorten said the new system will be “world leading” and represents an “exciting step forward for Australia’s digital infrastructure”. But details about the system are scarce. Shorten… Read more »

Bill Shorten
Cyber security

A new digital ID system planned by the federal government will keep personal info in your phone’s myGov wallet

- August 13, 2024 2 MIN READ

The minister for government services, Bill Shorten, will unveil a new initiative that would allow people to have more control over the personal information they share. The scheme, called the Trust Exchange (TEx), would allow people to verify their identities and credentials based on official information already held by the federal government. The plan is… Read more »

Cyber security

Scam warning alert after half of Australia’s population falls victim to MediScare’s data hack

- July 23, 2024 3 MIN READ

Approximately 12.9 million Australians had their personal and health information stolen during a data breach involving MediSecure, the defunct electronic prescriptions company has confirmed. The figure means almost half of the Australian population was likely impacted by the breach of scripts distributed by MediSecure up until November 2023, making it one of the largest cyber… Read more »

Woolies BSOD
Business

Here’s what you need to know about Microsoft’s BSOD and what happened with CrowdStrike

- July 20, 2024 2 MIN READ

Computer systems across Australia and overseas have failed on Friday afternoon after an update was pushed out by global security software provider CrowdStrike. The software affected by the update appears to be the CrowdStrike Falcon platform, which is installed by businesses or other organisations on desktop computers and notebooks to provide security monitoring. What’s happening?… Read more »