Australian Cyber News Summary #02 – February 2022
Gov told don’t “water down” public sector data protectionBy Justin Hendry on Feb 28, 2022. Macquarie Telecom has urged the government not to “water down” critical infrastructure laws so that only business critical public sector data held by … |
NZ Post takes three websites offline as new scam circulatesBy Jane Nixon on Feb 28, 2022. A new scam where tech fraudsters use text and fake webforms that profess to be from NZ Post has led the company to take three websites offline to … |
NZ Ransomware Incident – NZ technology company iTCo hacked, data stolen | 1 NewsBy Anonymous on Feb 28, 2022. New Zealand Ransomware Attack: February 26 2022 NZ technology company iTCo Solutions hacked, data stolen Those responsible are claiming to have stolen … |
Australian organisations encouraged to urgently adopt an enhanced cyber security postureBy Australian Cyber Security Centre on Feb 28, 2022. Australian organisations are encouraged to urgently adopt an enhanced cyber security position. Organisations should act now and follow ACSC’s advice … |
Defence rejects data security concernsBy Anonymous on Feb 20, 2022. The defence department has assured senators all data held by a telco where a Chinese investment consortium has a controlling interest is secure. One … |
Robotexts leaving Australians ‘under attack all the time’By Anonymous on Feb 20, 2022. Australians are being put at risk of serious financial loss through annoying scam messages, with some now receiving up to four robotexts in the span … |
NBN Co thinks a micrometeorite knocked its satellite off-orbit in DecemberBy Ry Crozier on Feb 20, 2022. NBN Co believes an outage on December 21 that knocked about 40 percent of Sky Muster users offline for about seven hours was caused by a … |
Australian Adults Are Reporting an Alarming Number of Cyber Abuse CasesBy Anonymous on Feb 18, 2022. The Adult Cyber Abuse scheme came into force on January 23, 2022, and alarmingly, 200 reports have already been received by the Office of the eSafety … |
NSW nurses strike as data breach defendedBy Anonymous on Feb 18, 2022. The NSW government is downplaying a data breach after thousands of sensitive business addresses were inadvertently published online, as thousands of … |
Hackers face 25 years’ jail for ransomware attacks on critical infrastructureBy Justin Hendry on Feb 17, 2022. Hackers will face up to 25 years’ jail for deliberately targeting critical infrastructure assets under proposed changes to Australia’s computer … |
Govt ‘steamrolling’ ahead with facial recognition planBy Denham Sadler National Affairs Editor on Feb 13, 2022. Despite the necessary legislation not having been passed, the federal government is “streamrolling” ahead with its plan to launch a national facial … |
Corrective services agencies to receive telco data access powersBy Justin Hendry on Feb 17, 2022. State and territory corrective services agencies will be offered new powers to access the telecommunications data of inmates in a bid to combat … |
Australia, UK, US release joint cyber security advisoryBy Reporter on Feb 13, 2022. The nations have published a joint cyber security advisory, outlining recommendations to shore up cyber defences. In collaboration with counterparts … |
Border Force defends temporary phone seizures at checkpointsBy Jeremy Nadel on Feb 17, 2022. Australian Border Force has defended seizing, searching and copying passengers’ phones at international airport checkpoints during senate estimates … |
NSW Police issues first coercive notice under encryption-busting powersBy Justin Hendry on Feb 17, 2022. Coercive powers under Australia’s controversial encryption-busting laws were used for the first time by law enforcement last financial year, with NSW … |
Beware of spies and radicalisation attempts online: ASIO chiefBy Stilgherrian on Feb 13, 2022. Mike Burgess warns of espionage via social media and dating sites, and a surge in the online radicalisation of minors. But on the plus side, good … |
Qld govt release 2017 email scandal reportBy Anonymous on Feb 15, 2022. The Queensland government has been accused of “whitewashing” after finally releasing a controversial report on a 2017 email scandal. The Liberal … |
NSW Education had unknown vulnerability in breached systemBy Justin Hendry on Feb 15, 2022. Hackers exploited an unknown vulnerability to access a NSW Department of Education system last year and stole the names and email addresses of an … |
Scamwatch advises public to be vigilant of Valentine’s Day dating and romance scamsBy Kenn Anthony Mendoza on Feb 15, 2022. Scamwatch, a website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, urges the public to be mindful of dating and romance scams after the … |
Parliament now blocking 82 percent of email impersonation attemptsBy Justin Hendry on Feb 15, 2022. Australia’s Parliament House is now automatically blocking more than 80 percent of emails attempting to impersonate parliamentarians and their staff |
Federal Court dismisses Facebook appealBy Anonymous on Feb 13, 2022. Facebook has lost an appeal involving the Cambridge Analytica scandal after the Federal Court rejected its claim it does not conduct business in … |
Second critical infrastructure security bill enters parliamentBy Justin Hendry on Feb 11, 2022. The federal government has introduced the remainder of its proposed critical infrastructure security reforms to parliament, after splitting a … |
Ransomware attack cost Tasmania’s pokies giant Federal Group millions of dollarsBy Anonymous on Feb 10, 2022. Tasmania’s largest private employer, pokies giant Federal Group, refused to pay a cyber hacker’s ransom demand when its systems were seized in April … |
Restricting privileges is important, but it’s not just about the IT administrator accessBy Reporter on Feb 09, 2022. Serkan Cetin from One Identity explains why organisations need to look beyond protocols put in place by IT administrators when managing user … |
Increasing concerns around cyber security risks | Queensland Audit OfficeBy Anonymous on Feb 09, 2022. It goes without saying that protecting important information assets with secure systems is critical to Queensland’s economic and security … |
Australian Cyber News Summary #01 – January 2022Australian Red Cross, Home Affairs, Hacking, Privacy, Incident, Ransomware, ABC Australia, NSW, Encryption, Vodafone, NBN. InfoSec, Information Security, Cyber Security, CyberSec |
No early data on use of Australia’s cyber-abuse takedown lawsBy Jeremy Nadel on Feb 08, 2022. Immediate applications of Australia’s new cyber-abuse takedown laws that came into force on January 23 remain unclear, with parties on all sides … |
PJCIS concerned TSSR’s ‘do your best’ requirements are not enough anymoreBy Chris Duckett on Feb 08, 2022. Committee recommends an Australian telecommunications security working group be established as it says the Telco Act is not enough to secure the … |
Should Canberra pursue Washington’s cyber security strategy?By Reporter on Feb 08, 2022. With the White House implementing a “zero trust” architecture strategy to improve the US government’s cyber security protocols, cyber security … |
Bunnings issues warning to customers after hackingBy Sky News Australia on Feb 08, 2022. Bunnings has been forced to issue a warning to customers after a third party software firm suffered a major security breach. It took place last month with pr… |
Back To School Privacy Warning | 10 News FirstBy 10 News First on Feb 08, 2022. Australian Federal Police are warning parents against posting school uniform photos online without the appropriate privacy settings. Subscribe to 10 News Fir… |
Cyber Pulse Podcast: Australia’s Number One Business RiskBy Aon Australia on Feb 08, 2022. In this episode of Aon’s Cyber Pulse podcast series our experts, Cyber Insurance Practice Leader, Michael Parrant and Global Cyber Risk Consulting Practice L… |
Incident: Australian Red Cross warns clients of potential security breach | CRN AustraliaAustralian Privacy Breach, 01 February 2022 Australian Red Cross warns clients of potential security breach May have been caught up in cyber security … |
News Corp email accounts targeted by hackersBy Eva Mathews on Feb 07, 2022. Digital intruders broke into News Corp email accounts and compromised the data of an unspecified number of journalists. News Corp said the breach was… |
Fears over ‘unacceptable’ privacy lawBy Alex Druce on Feb 04, 2022. Australian consumers are subject to 116 privacy policies at any one time – a load that would take more than 30 hours to read through – with the … |
Labor flags ‘step change’ in Commonwealth’s cyber cultureBy Denham Sadler National Affairs Editor on Feb 04, 2022. Labor will drive a “step change” in the Commonwealth’s cybersecurity culture to counter the current secrecy and lack of accountability around the … |
Cyber resilience first: A must for regulators, executives and boardsBy Derek Cowan Contributor on Feb 04, 2022. Despite the Australian Securities and Investments Commission being hit by a cyber-attack just over a year ago, along with several other high profile … |
Home Affairs says end-to-end encryption is detrimental to public safetyBy Justin Hendry on Feb 03, 2022. Social media giants are forging ahead with plans to introduce end-to-end encryption on their platforms “without regard” for public safety, according … |
NSW Planning dept creates new cyber security function, CISO roleBy Justin Hendry on Feb 02, 2022. NSW’s Department of Planning and Environment has created a new information security function as part of an ongoing cyber security uplift. The new … |
ACIC ‘strategic assessment’ on encryption stays out of public viewBy Jeremy Nadel on Feb 02, 2022. A 2015 “strategic assessment” of the “ramifications” of encryption on law enforcement intelligence-gathering in Australia will remain out of public … |
