Category: cyber security

April 24, 2025

‘Warning sign’: Espionage driving APAC cyber surge

Almost all the cyberattacks in the APAC region now come from external threat actors like organised crime syndicates and state-affiliated actors, according to new analysis of thousands of incidents. Espionage emerged as a key driver in the region in 2025, behind one in three APAC attacks and nearly double the global average, while systems intrusion…

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April 11, 2025

Home Affairs hunts new machine learning cyber shield

The Department of Home Affairs is searching for a new cybersecurity shield to protect thousands of users and devices, as its current ageing and patchwork system runs up against a support cliff. The department on Thursday approached the market for an extended detection and response (XDR) system that it wants deployed by the end of…

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April 11, 2025

Cybersecurity industry silent as Trump turns on SentinelOne

The cybersecurity industry has gone mostly quiet after President Donald Trump took action against one of its prominent members. President Trump on Wednesday ordered the cancellation of security clearances of SentinelOne executives and employees, part of a campaign to use the might of the US government to crush his political opponents. SentinelOne’s offence was hiring…

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March 13, 2025

ASIC heads to court over FIIG Securities’ cybersecurity failures

The Australian securities watchdog said on Thursday it is taking fixed-income broker FIIG to court, alleging it failed to implement adequate cybersecurity measures over a four-year period, enabling a hacker to infiltrate its IT network. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) claims FIIG’s deficiencies resulted in the theft of approximately 385 gigabytes of confidential…

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March 13, 2025

ASIC heads to court over FIIG Securities’ cybersecurity failures

The Australian securities watchdog said on Thursday it is taking fixed-income broker FIIG to court, alleging it failed to implement adequate cybersecurity measures over a four-year period, enabling a hacker to infiltrate its IT network. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) claims FIIG’s deficiencies resulted in the theft of approximately 385 gigabytes of confidential…

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March 10, 2025

Australia sets threshold for cyber ransom payment reporting

The federal government has set the annual turnover threshold for its new ransomware payment reporting regime at $3 million in turnover, dismissing calls from peak bodies to more than triple the amount. New rules bringing about the mandatory regime, as well as mandatory security standards for Internet of Things devices, were signed off by Cybersecurity…

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March 4, 2025

Regulators face a wicked choice on ransomware, experts say

As the average ransomware payment soars past $1.3 million and impacts businesses across almost every sector in Australia, experts are still split on whether banning the payments would curb the issue or create even more perverse outcomes. Some see an outright ban on paying cybergangs as the “least bad option” the government has left, while…

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February 24, 2025

Australia bans Russian antivirus software on govt devices

The Australian government will ban antivirus software from Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky on all devices and systems, claiming it poses an “unacceptable security risk” to networks and data. Home Affairs secretary Stephane Foster issued a mandatory directive on Friday prohibiting the company’s cybersecurity software over foreign interference, espionage and sabotage concerns. The move, which comes…

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February 20, 2025

‘Cat and mouse’: Police use hacking powers to disrupt botnets

Policing hacking powers have helped thwart botnet attacks involving thousands of hijacked devices, preventing future crimes at scale, according to the Australian Federal Police. The example was offered up by the AFP as evidence of the “true value” of data disruption warrants during the second day of hearings for the review of ‘Identify and Disrupt’…

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February 19, 2025

Cyber incident rocks major IVF clinic

A leading Australian fertility clinic has apologised to customers and says it is investigating a breach of its computer network that forced it to take some of its servers and systems offline. Major IVF provider Genea, which is used by tens of thousands of patients at clinics around Australia, emailed customers on Wednesday to say…

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February 18, 2025

Cyber policy shakeup for govt cloud, networking

Cloud and networking policies used to help secure the federal government’s vast IT estate will be consolidated as part of a new joined-up framework being developed by the Department of Home Affairs. A gateway policy initially designed to support the transition to the now-scrapped Cyber Hubs program will be the first cab off the rank,…

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February 17, 2025

Tasmania unveils new cybersecurity strategy, a ‘call to arms’

The Tasmanian government will use its new cybersecurity strategy to help grow the state’s pool of cyber professionals by forging new partnerships with industry and the University of Tasmania. The four-year plan, unveiled on Monday, will also see the government build out a shared cyber governance and operating model adopted as part of its Cyber…

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February 4, 2025

DeepSeek banned from Australian government devices

Chinese artificial intelligence chatbot DeepSeek has been banned from Australian government-issued systems and devices after it as found to pose an “unacceptable level of security risk” . Home Affairs secretary Stephanie Foster issued a direction to all public servants, politicians and their staffers late on Tuesday on the advice of national security and intelligence agencies….

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January 29, 2025

$6.4m to combat health sector cyber threat

The federal government has awarded $6.4 million to an industry-funded cyber threat intelligence network to establish a information sharing and analysis centre for the healthcare sector. The Critical Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Centre (CI-ISAC), a not-for-profit, will use the funding to bring on additional full-time staff and upgrade its technical information sharing platform. Its…

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January 7, 2025

Federal agencies go backwards on cybersecurity basics

Federal agencies are going backwards on basic cybersecurity, with just 15 per cent of entities meeting a minimum level of overall maturity last year, and more than two-thirds failing on individual protections like multifactor authentication and privileged access. The drop follows a tightening of the way that controls are assessed and a rise in legacy…

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December 4, 2024

Bullying, pay gap in male dominated ’24/7′ cyber sector

Gender biases, stereotypes and inequities are limiting women’s participation in the Australian cybersecurity sector, according to new research that recommends changes to the current “24/7 culture”. A report by RMIT cyber and social researchers released on Wednesday found the barriers are making it harder to address gender equity in an Australian sector where less than…

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November 29, 2024

Work begins on national data classification framework

A consortium of government and industry bodies have begun developing a standardised approach for businesses to assess the value of their data and protect against risks across the economy. The Voluntary Data Classification Framework is an initiative under the national cybersecurity strategy’s ‘safe technology’ shield and is intended to help “support data governance and security…

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November 26, 2024

Australia’s first Cybersecurity Bill passes Parliament

Australia’s first standalone Cybersecurity Bill has passed into law, introducing a mandatory ransomware reporting regime and protections for businesses that cooperate with authorities in the aftermath of a cyber-attack. The Cyber Security Bill, which also introduces mandatory security standards for IoT devices, passed the Senate after a short debate on Monday with the support of…

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November 20, 2024

Australia sees first drop in cybercrime reports

Reports of cybercrime to national authorities fell for the first time last year, ending a half decade of surging known incidents as the Albanese government ploughs $20 billion into domain capabilities. Despite the drop the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) is urging Australians to remain vigilant, warning cybersecurity can’t be ‘set and forget’ as criminals and…

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November 18, 2024

Intelligence committee green lights Cybersecurity Act

Australia’s first standalone Cybersecurity Bill has been given the green light by the powerful intelligence and security committee, paving the way for its debate in Parliament later this week. The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) on Monday recommended only minor changes the “urgent” bill, which forms part of a broader cybersecurity legislative…

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November 1, 2024

Falloff in cyber reports as businesses lawyer up

Australia’s cyber intelligence agency has witnessed a falloff in businesses proactively reporting cyber incidents in recent months, delaying their ability to respond as firms increasingly lawyer up. As Parliament considers new ‘Limited Use’ protections to shield companies from immediate regulation action, officials from the Australian Signals Directorate on Friday revealed growing caution by businesses. “We…

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October 29, 2024

LLM firewalls enter the secure AI debate

Envision a world where your sensitive enterprise data flows freely into artificial intelligence systems without friction. Large Language Model (LLM) firewalls may emerge as essential for Australian businesses, unlocking generative AI’s power while reducing the risks of data leaks and compliance failures. An LLM firewall works like a security checkpoint for AI, filtering data flowing…

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October 16, 2024

Landmark report shows telco resilience measures still basic

Australia’s telco sector has only basic measures in place to respond and recover from disruptions like cyber incidents and natural disasters, a new report from the ANU Tech Policy Design Centre reveals. The report, to be released on Thursday, marks the first time the resilience of the sector has been profiled at the sector-level and…

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October 9, 2024

National cyber agency expands ‘have i been pwned’ access

The Australian Signals Directorate is now paying Australian-run data breach index Have I Been Pwned for threat intelligence, after six years of utilising its free government service. Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) is an online service that allows anybody to check if their email address has been caught up in a data breach, with paying…

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October 9, 2024

National cyber agency expands ‘have i been pwned’ access

The Australian Signals Directorate is now paying Australian-run data breach index Have I Been Pwned for threat intelligence, after six years of utilising its free government service. Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) is an online service that allows anybody to check if their email address has been caught up in a data breach, with paying…

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October 9, 2024

Landmark cyber package expands govt’s ‘last resort’ powers

Australia’s first ever Cybersecurity Act was among a landmark legislative package introduced by the Albanese government on Wednesday with promises of protections for businesses that cooperate with authorities on incident responses. Years in the making, the package reveals crucial limits for where the information sharing protections end, when businesses will have to declare ransomware payments,…

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October 9, 2024

AustCyber reborn as Australian Cyber Network

AustCyber, the former government-funded cybersecurity Industry Growth Centre, has shed its ties with startup incubator Stone and Chalk and been reborn as the Australian Cyber Network. Launched on Wednesday, the new not-for-profit will be led by former AustCyber executives Linda Cavanagh and Jason Murrell, who devised the Australian Cyber Network (ACN) together over the last…

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October 1, 2024

NSW data breach scheme sees 52 reports in first seven months

More than 50 data breaches have been reported in the first seven months of the new mandatory data breach notification scheme in New South Wales, with state government agencies making up 65 per cent of the notifications. Of the 52 notifications revealed in the first report by the state’s Information and Privacy Commission, local governments…

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September 17, 2024

Limited use but no ‘safe harbour’ for cyber data sharing

Upcoming cybersecurity laws will offer businesses that share private details with cyber agencies in the aftermath of an attack a limited use protection from regulatory action. But to balance public interest, the government won’t include the stronger legal shield of a safe harbour that industry was seeking this year. The limited use obligation will mean…

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September 16, 2024

Data breaches hit three-year high: OAIC

Serious data breaches are occurring at the highest rate in the last three and a half years, according to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, as it awaits new enforcement powers proposed in a Privacy Act amendment bill. The latest notifiable data breaches report, released on Monday, reveals 527 data breach notifications between January…

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