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 »

Cyber security

The CrowdStrike Falcon crash – what you need to know and do

- July 20, 2024 3 MIN READ

A massive IT outage is currently affecting computer systems worldwide. In Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, reports indicate computers at banks, media organisations, hospitals, transport services, shop checkouts, airports and more have all been impacted. Friday’s outage is unprecedented in its scale and severity. The technical term for what has happened to the affected computers… Read more »

Cyber security

Ticketmaster is the latest company to leave Australians exposed with data hack

- June 1, 2024 2 MIN READ

Australian consumers may have had their personal data compromised in an alleged data breach impacting ticketing and events giant Ticketmaster. Hacking group ShinyHunters claims to have stolen 1.3 terabytes of data on 560 million Ticketmaster customers globally, including names, addresses, credit card details and phone numbers. The group is reportedly seeking $756,000 ($US500,000) for a… Read more »

Cyber security

Global cybercrime crackdown sees five arrested in Australia over phishing scam

- April 24, 2024 3 MIN READ

Five Australians have been arrested as part of a worldwide sting that took down a cybercrime platform acting as a “one-stop-shop” for phishing. Authorities from around the world teamed up to target LabHost, a cybercrime platform that offered users a “phishing kit” for a price, allowing them to steal the personal details and money of… Read more »

data in glasses, surveillance
Cyber security

A coder put a massive flaw in Linux for hacker access. Here are the lessons learned

- April 8, 2024 4 MIN READ

Outside the world of open-source software, it’s likely few people would have heard about XZ Utils, a small but widely used tool for data compression in Linux systems. But late last month, security experts uncovered a serious and deliberate flaw that could leave networked Linux computers susceptible to malicious attacks. The flaw has since been… Read more »

Fred again...
Cyber security

Cybersec startup Kasada took a deep dive into how scalpers use bots to grab tickets to gigs like Fred again… and found a massive problem

- March 15, 2024 5 MIN READ

Fred again.., one of electronic music’s hottest artists, secretly arrived in Australia on February 27. In true Fred again.. fashion, that very same day, he announced a raft of shows in arena-sized venues across Sydney, Melbourne, and the Gold Coast. According to multiple sources, this amounts to over 100,000 tickets for shows in the coming… Read more »

Cyber security

An cybersecurity expert explains credential stuffing and how to protect yourself

- March 1, 2024 3 MIN READ

Cyber-skulduggery is becoming the bane of modern life. Australia’s prime minister has called it a “scourge”, and he is correct. In 2022–23, nearly 94,000 cyber crimes were reported in Australia, up 23% on the previous year. In the latest high-profile attack, around 15,000 customers of alcohol retailer Dan Murphy, Mexican restaurant chain Guzman y Gomez,… Read more »