Darwinium founder Alisdair Faulkner
Funding

Blackbird and AirTree back anti-fraud startup from the team behind ThreatMetrix in $15.6 million Seed round

- November 7, 2022 2 MIN READ

Online fraud prevention startup Darwinium has raised US$10 million (A$15.6m) in a Seed round led by local VCs Blackbird and Airtree. The US-based customer protection platform was founded by Bondi entrepreneur Alisdair Faulkner, cofounder of cybersecurity startup ThreatMetrix, which sold in 2018 for more than A$1.2 billion (US$817m). Joining him at Darwinium is former ThreatMetrix… Read more »

Optus
Cyber security

Everything that’s wrong with how Optus announced its massive data breach

- September 26, 2022 2 MIN READ

Optus fears data on up to 9.8 million of its customers has been accessed in a sophisticated cyberattack – including, for some customers, passport and drivers licence details, as well as phone numbers, dates of birth and email addresses. It made the announcement through the media, in the middle of Thursday’s national day of mourning… Read more »

Funding

Device cybersecurity management startup bags $14 million Series A for global expansion

- August 30, 2022 2 MIN READ

Sydney-based Devicie has raised $14 million in a Series A to expand offshore with its end-user device security management software. The round was led by New York VC giant Insight Partners, supported Australian cyber security services provider CyberCX. Devicie previously raised $1.3 million in Seed capital from angel investors and the cybersecurity venture accelerator program… Read more »

Politics

$1.3 billion defence drone project canned as Budget spends $10 billion on boosting offensive cybersecurity capabilities

- April 7, 2022 2 MIN READ

The government’s REDSPICE cyber security program – a $9.9 billion centrepiece to last week’s budget – has come at the cost of a $1.3 billion Sky Guardian drone project which has already set taxpayers back $10 million, senate estimates revealed on Friday. Despite the $9.9 billion headline figure championed by the Treasurer in his budget speech, a… Read more »

cybersecurity
Cyber security

Canberra ramps up cyber skills training with pilot program looking to meet industry demands

- April 5, 2022 2 MIN READ

The Canberra Cyber Hub, ACT Government and Digital Skills Organisation (DSO) have partnered together to deliver a pilot program aimed at addressing the massive shortage of a skilled workforce in cyber security. DSO CEO Patrick Kidd said the 12-month pilot will help identify which skills companies will be need on the cybersec front in the… Read more »

man and woman in tech room
Cyber security

The Budget’s $10 billion cybersecurity plan is all about making Australia a key ‘offensive’ cyber player

- March 31, 2022 4 MIN READ

In the 2022 federal budget, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg launched a range of vote-winning initiatives – one of which included a breathtaking A$9.9 billion for cyber security over ten years. Bundled under the acronym REDSPICE (which stands for resilience, effects, defence, space, intelligence, cyber and enablers), the program is expected to help build Australia’s intelligence and… Read more »

cyber hacking
Cyber security

Everything you need to know about the Budget when it comes to cybersecurity from an expert

- March 30, 2022 4 MIN READ

I looked for the cybersecurity line items in the budget so you don’t have to. Initial Thoughts I commented in my corresponding post when last year’s budget was released that: “This (2021) budget continues the historical trend of spending a significant amount on national security, which includes cybersecurity, but having most of the money directed towards the… Read more »

Troy Hunt
Cyber security

Troy Hunt, the cybersecurity expert behind Have I Been Pwned, on the sector’s biggest myths and why we should be worried about IoT devices

- February 25, 2022 3 MIN READ

Your passwords aren’t safe, the internet of things is ripe for abuse, and hackers don’t always wear hoodies – this is some of the wisdom shared by cyber security expert and creator of the Have I Been Pwned website, Troy Hunt at the ACS Reimagination Thought Leaders’ Summit 2022. In an entertaining talk delivered to… Read more »

cyber hacking
Politics

The Australian government is making reporting ransomware attacks mandatory

- October 15, 2021 3 MIN READ

The federal government will introduce a new mandatory ransomware reporting scheme as it looks to crackdown on cybercriminals targeting Australians. Sparse details about the scheme were announced alongside the Department of Home Affairs’ Ransomware Action Plan, released on Wednesday, but the government said it will likely affect businesses with an annual turnover greater than $10… Read more »

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 »