australia

Australians Hit With One Cyber Attack Every Second in 2024

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Australians Hit With One Cyber Attack Every Second in 2024

A cyber attack hit an Australian user every second in 2024, marking a staggering twelvefold increase from the previous year. This surge contributed to a global cybersecurity crisis, where 5.6 billion accounts were compromised worldwide, equating to 176 breaches per second, according to Surfshark. The global total represents a nearly eightfold surge from 2023 when only 23 accounts were compromised per second. Australia’s data breach epidemic Australia recorded 47 million data breaches last year, up…

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Phishing Emails in Australia Rise by 30%

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Phishing Emails in Australia Rise by 30%

The number of phishing emails received by Australians surged by 30% last year, new research by security firm Abnormal Security has found. Cybercriminals have increasingly targeted the Asia-Pacific region, partly because it is becoming a larger player in critical industries like data centres and telecoms. For APAC as a whole, credential phishing attacks rose by 30.5% between 2023 and 2024, according to the research. New Zealand saw a 30% rise, while for Japan and Singapore,…

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Australia's New Scam Prevention Laws: What You Need to Know

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Australia's New Scam Prevention Laws: What You Need to Know

Introduced by the Australian government in September, the Scam Prevention Framework (SPF) is the latest policy aimed at protecting scam victims. The framework places significant responsibility on the technology, banking, and telecommunications sectors to develop effective solutions. Non-compliance could result in hefty penalties, including fines of up to AU$50 million. Additionally, companies that fail to comply may be required to compensate scam victims. The codes will be mandatory and are expected to be introduced in…

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IBM on Future Cybersecurity: Passkeys, Deepfakes, Quantum Computing

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IBM on Future Cybersecurity: Passkeys, Deepfakes, Quantum Computing

“The internet will be a lot safer in five years than it is today, thanks to technological advances that address common problems at scale.” This prediction by Chris Hockings, CTO of IBM Asia Pacific, might seem a bit ambitious given that AI-powered cybercrime is growing at an exponential rate, deepfake technology is enhancing social engineering attacks, and the power of quantum computing is on the horizon. But Hockings spoke with TechRepublic about how he believes…

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Low Media Literacy: A Risk to Australia's Cybersecurity Landscape

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Low Media Literacy: A Risk to Australia's Cybersecurity Landscape

A recent study by Western Sydney University, Adult Media Literacy in 2024, revealed worryingly low levels of media literacy among Australians, particularly given the deepfake capabilities posted by newer AI technologies. This deficiency poses an IT security risk, given that human error remains the leading cause of security breaches. As disinformation and deepfakes become increasingly sophisticated, the need for a cohesive national response is more urgent than ever, the report noted. Because AI can produce…

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CBA’s x15ventures Set to Lead in Fintech AI Innovation

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CBA’s x15ventures Set to Lead in Fintech AI Innovation

On Aug. 20, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s venture-scaling arm, x15ventures, will close applications for its annual Xccelerate program — an opportunity for tech startups to win a $250,000 investment into their company. The competition reflects the CBA’s broader efforts to establish itself as a dominant force in fintech AI. The bank’s initiatives, including its partnership with Microsoft and the work of x15ventures, highlight its intent to replicate the success of its ambitious digital transformation…

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StickmanCyber Report: Australia's Cybersecurity Skills Crisis

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StickmanCyber Report: Australia's Cybersecurity Skills Crisis

A new report has found that Australia’s available pool of cybersecurity skills is smaller than realised. The report, Australia’s Cybersecurity and Technical Skills Gap, an analysis by security provider StickmanCyber and based on an analysis of ABS census and labour force data, revealed a shortage of 10,000 technical roles throughout the country. There is just one cybersecurity professional for every 240 Australian businesses. The lack of Australian security professionals is partially to blame for the…

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Ransomware Attacks Are Attracting Record Payouts in Australia. Should You Pay the Ransom?

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Ransomware Attacks Are Attracting Record Payouts in Australia. Should You Pay the Ransom?

Ransomware remains one of the most common forms of cyber attack — and it’s particularly threatening because it can be incredibly effective. Globally, ransomware damage costs are predicted to exceed $265 billion by 2031. These attacks can affect even the largest of organisations. In July, a hacking group disrupted more than 230 of Indonesia’s government agencies and services by infecting critical systems at a national data centre. Why organisations are tempted to pay ransoms Theoretically,…

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Australian Organizations are Fascinated With Copilot for Microsoft 365, But Will They Avoid The “Gotchas”?

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Australian Organizations are Fascinated With Copilot for Microsoft 365, But Will They Avoid The “Gotchas”?

The interest in Microsoft Copilot is high, with many major Australian organizations signing on to be part of Microsoft’s early access and pre-launch testing process. According to Microsoft, 70% of Copilot users say they are more productive, and overall, there’s a 29% increase in speed with tasks like searching, writing and summarising. Copilot use is only going to accelerate, as Microsoft and its partners embed the AI product directly into PCs and processes. Gartner recently…

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Will Australia Ever Dig Itself Out of the Cybersecurity Skills Shortage?

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Will Australia Ever Dig Itself Out of the Cybersecurity Skills Shortage?

Australia continues to grapple with the ramifications of a massive cyber security skills shortage, underscored by another recent large-scale data breach. The big concern is whether the nation even has the resources to strengthen resilience. Recently, the electronic prescription company MediSecure fell victim to a major ransomware attack. Together with other major incidents such as Optus, Latitude Finance and more in recent years, the event was a reminder of the ongoing and urgent need for skilled…

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