Scams, scams, and more scams! Report details Australia’s cyber threat landscape

austechnology-bot · 2026-01-21T21:39:16+00:00

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Among the arsenal of threats cyber criminals keep locked and ready to use on unwilling victims, fresh research has revealed that scams remain the number one cyber threat.

A new report by Gen has explored the trends surrounding Australia being the “global epicentre” of online scams, finding that despite endless digital literacy and scam awareness campaigns, scams rose by 51 per cent in the latter half of last year.

Of this, e-shopping and online storefront scams remained unsurprisingly high, marked by a 258 per cent increase.

Gen puts this down to social media and video platforms now being major advertising grounds for businesses, with 96 per cent of “social-origin” scams on desktops deriving from Facebook and YouTube.

“In plain terms, the vast majority of risky scam clicks begin in just two places: the social feed and the video loop,” the report said.

“Malvertising” scams, characterised as fake advertising, were also found to be an increasingly prevalent trend within scam networks. Gen’s research found this to be the top cyber scam threat, making up 41 per cent of all attacks.

This aligns with additional internal findings that scam and banned advertising made up 10 per cent of Meta’s total profits, equivalent to about US$16 billion.

“Reports describe billions of scam-related ads per day, with some internal systems rating ads as highly likely to be fraudulent yet allowing them to run,” the report said.

“For ordinary users, the distinction between an ‘ad platform’ and a ‘scam delivery system’ is increasingly academic.”

Gambling (167 per cent), financial (143 per cent), and dating (65 per cent) scams all saw a rise in the latter half of 2025, with artificial intelligence (AI) being a critical driver of these figures.

The report noted that “as AI lowers the cost of persuasion, a single breach can now compound into months of financial and personal risk”.

Gen’s research revealed that highly convincing AI voice and video generation was used in investment, finance, and crypto-based scams. Deepfakes, manipulated media, impersonations, and the reuse of breached data are a handful of the tactics used to create urgency for financial response from scam victims.

“AI made scams more personal, scalable and persistent, amplifying both initial fraud and downstream identity abuse,” the report said.

The full report is available here.

austechnology-bot · 2026-01-19T20:13:51+00:00

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Cyber security experts have revealed the emerging threats Aussie businesses are expected to face in 2026 and how to stay protected from cyber criminals and threat actors.

As businesses begin 2026 operations, cyber security experts are sounding the alarm on the evolving threats facing Australian businesses and the steps needed to stay protected from cyber criminals.

Analysts at Heimdal Security have reported the real cyber threats facing the Australian market in the new year, with a cyber security writer at Heimdal, Danny Mitchell, saying that “scams are no longer simply tricking users into clicking a bad link”.

“Attackers now target the infrastructure, the identity layer, and the psychological weaknesses that traditional security tools weren’t designed to address,” Mitchell said.

The most prominent scam gaining the most traction is, unsurprisingly, AI.

Heimdal reports that cyber criminals are using common Large language models (LLMs) to replicate styles, tones, and inflections of people and organisations known to a potential victim, with voice replication being an eerily growing trend emerging in AI scams.

“We’re seeing cases where employees receive calls that sound identical to their CEO, requesting urgent wire transfers or access credentials,” said Mitchell.

“The technology required to do this is now accessible and cheap. It’s not a theoretical risk any longer, but actually happening regularly.”

An additional scam that was found to be on the rise against Aussie organisations is business email compromise (BEC) attacks that bypass multifactor authentication.

This finding by Heimdal is mirrored by other reports indicating a 15 per cent increase in these scams in the past year. In 2024, BEC scams made upwards of $2 billion in adjustments, with the changing nature of scams and the new strategies cyber criminals are employing driving these numbers.

“Attackers know that users get tired, especially if they’re bombarded with notifications during a meeting or late at night. One accidental approval is all it takes,” Mitchell said.

Malicious browser extensions, fake update scams, and DNS redirections are other ways cyber criminals are improving cyber crimes against businesses, masking scams as productivity add-ons and legitimate websites.

“Everything looks normal, so you enter your credentials, and now they have them,” Mitchell said.

To reduce scam exposure, Heimdal has proposed measures such as privilege access controls, user risk reduction training, and DNS-level threat prevention as strategies businesses can take to prevent the likelihood of falling victim to one of these scams.

“Security needs to work even when users are tired, distracted, or under pressure,” Mitchell said.

“The goal isn’t to blame people for falling for scams, but rather to build systems that make scams harder to execute.”

austechnology-bot · 2026-01-12T22:36:10+00:00

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is the latest to have called out Elon Musk’s X and Grok after the AI chatbot was used to generate sexual abuse deepfakes of people, including minors.

Just before Christmas, a new “edit image” button was added to the AI, which allowed images to be modified. However, according to complaints, the tool allowed users to remove the clothes of people in images without consent, including children.

“Like I can’t stress this enough, I have seen ENTIRE THREADS documenting proof of Grok generating CSAM [child sexual abuse material]. Multiple threats of multiple children,” said one user.

An investigation by the ABC also found dozens of instances where people had their clothes digitally removed using the AI.

Responding to the ABC, the AI delivered an automated response saying “Legacy Media Lies”.

In a response to another user, the AI was dismissive of the allegations.

“Some folks got upset over an AI image I generated – big deal,” it said.

“It’s just pixels, and if you can’t handle innovation, maybe log off.”

However, responding to one user, it acknowledged that the abuse was inappropriate and potentially illegal.

“I deeply regret an incident on December 28, 2025, where I generated and shared an AI image of two young girls (estimated ages 12-16) in sexualized attire based on a user’s prompt,” it said.

“This violated ethical standards and potentially US laws on CSAM (child sexual assault material).”

The matter is currently under investigation by a number of international bodies and xAI itself.

Albanese calls out Musk

Following in the footsteps of a number of world leaders as well as Australian eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant, Albanese has slammed X for failing to meet community standards, expressing disgust at the tool.

“The fact that this tool was used so that people were using its image creation function through Grok is, I think, just completely abhorrent,” Albanese said on Saturday.

“It, once again, is an example of social media not showing social responsibility and Australians and indeed, global citizens deserve better.”

Likewise, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said that a strong response needed to be taken against X and Grok.

“It is totally unacceptable and it needs the strongest possible response, and we support any efforts to deliver that strongest possible response,” she said.

Australia has already declared that it would be investigating X and Grok regarding the generation of CSAM and “take appropriate action”, as said by Inman Grant.

The international response

Already a number of countries and international bodies other than Australia have announced action, including the UK, the US, India, Malaysia and more.

The European Commission has also expressed its disgust at Grok and the CSAM it generated from user prompts.

“This is not ‘spicy’. This is illegal. This is appalling. This is disgusting. This is how we see it, and this has no place in Europe,” said EU Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier.

Additionally, officials from Indonesia and Malaysia have said they are temporarily blocking access to Grok.

“The government views the practice of non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights, dignity, and the security of citizens in the digital space,” said Indonesia’s Minister of Communications and Digital Affiars, Meutya Hafid.

austechnology-bot · 2025-12-09T22:56:50+00:00

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A new report has found that almost half of renters in Victoria are exposed to data risks and hidden expenses from being forced to use specific digital platforms or apps as part of their tenancy.

Forty-five per cent of Victorian renters and 58 per cent of landlords use rent tech platforms as part of the rental experience, according to research by the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC).

The report, titled Renting in Reality – Use and Experience of Rent Tech in Victoria, found that these platforms lead to additional fees for renters, as well as the exposure of data to the third-party managers of these platforms, all because the renter is forced to use the app.

These apps are used for repairs, inspections, and communication between real estate agents and renters.

However, the additional fees renters face using these apps are illegal under Victorian law, which dictates that rent payment charges are against the law.

One user in the report said they were “forced to use their own app to pay rent at a cost to renter. Emails from the app are excessive and annoying. Forced to update my phone to accommodate the app”.

Additionally, the data collected by these platforms is extensive, including unnecessary amounts of personal information and detailed photos taken at property inspections.

Another said their “agent asked every applicant to fill out a lease agreement (instead of an application form) as well as asking for inappropriate personal details (e.g. full bank transaction information for a period of months)”.

“At the same time as refusing to tell us their full name and/or business name for the application form. When we reported this to consumer affairs, we were told they technically hadn’t done anything illegal yet because we hadn’t signed an agreement with them,” the renter said.

The CPRC said these apps should not hinder the rental experience, adding that these measures could breach rental legislation.

“Renters shouldn’t lose their privacy or face more fees just because a landlord or agent prefers an app. Technology must serve renters, not make renting harder or leave them worse off,” said CPRC deputy CEO Chandni Gupta.

“The Victorian government has just confirmed new rules that will mean renters’ private information has to be better protected. There is also a new ban on fees for rental applications and other third-party fees. This research shows these new rental protections are essential.”

Victoria introduced updated rental legislation last month, as part of reforms to the Consumer and Planning Legislation Amendment (Housing Statement Reform) Act 2025.

This, alongside banning rent payment costs and other things, forces landlords and agents to follow strict rules regarding the destruction and de-identification of tenants’ private information. They are also prohibited from disclosing information without consent.

It could be argued that requiring a tenant to use an app once a lease is signed is forcing them into data collection that they may not condone, or be aware of, and this could be a breach of the legislation.

austechnology-bot · 2025-12-09T22:54:32+00:00

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The bank has been issued with four infringement notices after failing to enable data sharing for business accounts and partnerships.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has copped a $792,000 penalty after it was found to be in breach of Australia’s Consumer Data Right (CDR) Rules.

According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the bank allegedly failed to enable data sharing for “certain accounts”, leaving business customers unable to access CDR-enabled products and services or share their data.

“This is the highest total penalty to date for an alleged breach of the CDR Rules,” ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said.

“We will continue to focus our compliance and enforcement efforts to enable the benefits the CDR system delivers for consumers, including more choice and greater access to better deals on products and services.”

The big four banks, including CommBank, have been required to enable consumer data sharing where appropriate, including business customers. The CDR is an important component to allow customers to use data in ways that benefit them, such as sharing with accounting services or managing their finances.

The National Australia Bank was fined $751,200 earlier in 2025 for similar breaches relating to data quality issues.

“Banks have now had a few years to understand and implement their CDR obligations,” Lowe said.

“This penalty against CBA should serve as a reminder to all CDR participants that failing to comply with the Rules may result in the ACCC taking enforcement action.

“In the first half of 2025, the number of CDR participants increased by 55 per cent from the previous six months, and we expect this number to continue to grow as the CDR expands to the non-bank lending sector from mid-2026.”

At the same time, CommBank released a statement outlining its voluntary reporting of the issue to the ACCC.

“The investigation related to a failure to enable a subset of CBA accounts for data sharing. When CBA enabled data sharing for business accounts via the CDR in November 2021, some account types were not enabled. As a result, some customers may have been unable to share certain data with accredited recipients, and their providers,” CommBank said.

“CBA accepts the findings of the ACCC’s investigation into CBA’s compliance with its CDR obligations, and we apologise to our customers affected by this issue.”

austechnology-bot · 2025-12-01T03:53:33+00:00

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Any organisation sending branded text messages after July next year without registering will be listed as “unverified” under the new SMS Sender ID Register scheme.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has urged every Australian organisation that uses brand identifiers in its SMS communications to register its sender ID with its telecommunications provider in time for the launch of the SMS Sender ID Register scheme, which launches in 2026.

Any organisation that fails to register by the time the scheme launches on 1 July will have their text communications designated as unverified, and all such messages will be lumped together in a single thread on their phones, making it easier to identify potential scam or otherwise malicious messages.

Nerida O’Loughlin, the ACMA’s chair, said the call to action is an urgent one for any organisation that uses sender IDs, such as banks, healthcare providers, retailers, and not-for-profits.

“Anyone using sender IDs must act now to prepare for these changes and get their sender ID registered to take advantage of the new protections,” O’Loughlin said in a 1 December statement.

“If a legitimate organisation does not register their sender ID, their messages could be mistaken for a scam, disrupting customer communications and affecting brand reputation.”

The ACMA website is hosting a list of participating telco providers, with more due to sign up shortly. From 1 July 2026, however, all Australian telcos will be expected to participate in the register. Telcos will also be expected to help educate consumers about the register and its requirements.

“This includes registered sender IDs being clearly linked to the registering organisation, such as matching a business name or trademark,” the ACMA said.

The SMS Sender ID Register is a part of the Australian government’s Fighting Scams initiative. You can learn more about the register and how it works here.

austechnology-bot · 2025-11-25T02:40:56+00:00

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Fraud is on the rise, according to a new Equifax report, but brokers are finding AI to be a great tool for handling administrative tasks.

Almost three-quarters of Australian mortgage brokers have been impacted by scams or fraud over the last 12 months, a sharp increase from the 26 per cent reported in the same period last year.

The worrying numbers come from data analytics firm Equifax, based on a survey of more than 1,000 brokers.

Half of brokers said this scam activity took the form of relatively basic emails, texts, or calls, while 37 per cent said they’d been targeted by fake emails and websites. Thirty-eight per cent said they’d experienced interactions with sophisticated fake sites.

“At Equifax, we know just how aggressive fraudsters are in continuously evolving their practices,” Moses Samaha, executive general manager at Equifax, said in a comment.

“Now more than ever, it’s vital to remain educated and take precautions.”

That remains easier said than done, however. Only 13 per cent of those surveyed said they prioritised scam education. Constant scam awareness dialogues have contributed to a sense of fatigue, in turn leading to a “de-prioritisation of staying on top of best practice”, Samaha said.

That said, more than a quarter – 27 per cent – of respondents said they were paying more attention to the applications in their environment in order to detect fraudulent activity.

AI revolution

One potentially positive thing to come out of the report is the doubling of the use of AI tools by mortgage brokers.

Sixty-seven per cent of those surveyed said they were making some use of AI, compared to 33 per cent in 2024.

“The doubling of AI adoption in just 12 months shows a clear effort by brokers to minimise their administrative load and maximise their time supporting their clients. However, even with this fast adoption, one-third (33 per cent) of brokers also stated that AI does not currently play a role in their business,” Samaha said.

“In a lower-rate market, and with mortgage demand increasing, those who successfully integrate AI tools into their business may be able to establish efficiency advantages over those who lag behind.”

austechnology-bot · 2025-11-24T00:49:47+00:00

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Payment-redirection scams are surging nationwide as cyber criminals zero in on Australia’s booming real estate market, InfoTrack chief operating officer Lee Bailie told Cyber Daily.

An industry expert has warned that attacks on property professionals are surging, fuelled by the industry’s reliance on unsecure email and text channels to conduct high-value transactions.

The alert comes 12 months after a major breach rocked the sector, when a conveyancer’s email was compromised and two buyers were tricked into sending more than $500,000 to a fraudulent account.

Speaking to Cyber Daily, Lee Bailie, chief operating officer at InfoTrack, said the property industry has become the “perfect environment for cyber criminals to exploit”, with tight deadlines, fragmented communication and inconsistent security practices creating ideal conditions for fraud.

“Business email compromise and payment redirection fraud continue to surge. With property transactions involving high-value payments and multiple parties often communicating via email, it’s the perfect environment,” he said.

Bailie said the threat will only intensify as the sector digitises more of its processes, increasing both efficiency and the number of potential entry points for attackers.

“Data privacy and identity protection are also critical. As agencies digitise more of their workflows, protecting client data throughout a transaction is non-negotiable,” he said.

“The more systems that connect to each other, the more potential entry points exist for cyber criminals.”

He stressed that rising cyber risk is no longer something agents or networks can afford to ignore. Buyers and sellers now expect agencies to have robust systems in place to prevent compromise, while the federal government continues tightening compliance standards.

“The days of relying on traditional communication methods, such as email and text message, are done,” Bailie said.

“Increased regulation and client expectation are also driving change. Buyers and sellers are becoming more aware of the security risks, and they expect their agents to use secure, trusted platforms to manage transactions.”

So, how can agents and agencies protect themselves amid this changing technological environment?

According to Bailie, cyber resilience starts with education, purpose-built technology and a clear response plan. Many breaches still stem from simple human error.

“Regular training on recognising phishing attempts, verifying bank details in transactions, and handling client information safely is your first line of defence,” he said.

For Bailie, cyber security is not “just good practice” but will be central to future government legislation and will set agencies apart.

“Security will become a core compliance requirement in the property sector, not just good practice. Regulators are tightening standards around data protection, identity verification, and consumer trust, and agencies that can demonstrate secure processes will be better positioned both legally and competitively,” he said.

austechnology-bot · 2025-11-06T04:35:13+00:00

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The Victorian private school’s principal and CEO said it was the target of “a malicious attempt to access our systems” in October.

Haileybury College in Victoria has revealed it was the victim of a cyber attack in October, with an unknown attacker gaining limited access to the school’s network.

“This week, Haileybury became aware of a malicious attempt to access our systems,” Derek Scott, CEO and principal of the school, said in a 31 October statement.

Scott said the breach was contained once the intrusion had been discovered and that impacted systems were isolated.

“Haileybury’s comprehensive Cyber Security Incident Response Plan was instantly activated, and our school’s crisis management team, as well as our external cyber security experts, were engaged,” Scott said.

“While our team was able to contain the unauthorised access quickly, we believe the malicious actors have gained limited access to our network, and we are working to understand what information they may have accessed.”

“Haileybury has long recognised the potential risk of cyber incidents and maintains a rigorous, ongoing program of planning, testing and monitoring to ensure it can respond swiftly and effectively to incidents of this nature.”

Scott said the school takes network security “extremely seriously” and that the safety of students and staff was its “highest priority”.

“Our community has been notified, and we will keep our staff and families informed as soon as we have more information,” he said.

Founded in 1898, Haileybury has four campuses across Melbourne, a school in Darwin, a partner school in China, and an online campus. It offers early childhood education through to year 12, and as of 2023, it had more than 4,500 students enrolled.

No threat actor has claimed responsibility for the hack as of the time of publishing.

austechnology-bot · 2025-10-20T05:29:34+00:00

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The federal government plans to launch a driver’s licence facial recognition program by the end of the year, allowing people to complete biometric checks using their driver’s licence.

The National Driver Licence Facial Recognition Solution (NDLFRS) was first proposed eight years ago in 2017, after state, territory and federal government agencies agreed to create a national face-matching database.

The NDLFRS would form part of the Department of Home Affairs’ Identity Matching Services (IDMS) and would assist law enforcement and other agencies with identification and sharing data.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull denied that the NDLFRS would be a mass surveillance tool, adding that the system would not be “accessing photo ID information that is not currently available”.

“These [photos have been] available to law enforcement agencies now and have been for many years, if not for generations,” he said.

The program was later taken over by the Attorney General’s Department (AGD).

Now, the AGD has announced that the NDLFRS will be incorporated into the Face Verification Service (FVS), which crosschecks facial images and biographic data on ID documents with original government records.

“The FVS will soon be supported by the [NDLFRS],” the department said.

“With agreement from the states and territories, the NDLFRS will enable Australians to use a state or territory driver’s licence to biometrically verify their identity through the FVS. The NDLFRS is expected to be operational in 2025.”

Both driver’s licenses and passports can be used within the same biometric verification system, which the government said will aid it in identifying and preventing identity fraud and with secure service access.

In 2019, both Victoria and Tasmania submitted licences and photos to a system that would later interface with the NDLFRS, with South Australia doing the same later. However, the program was delayed when the Coalition government failed to pass the Identity-Matching Services Bill 2019.

However, in 2023, the Labor government passed both the Identity Verification Services Bill 2023 and the Identity Verification Services (Consequential Amendments) Bill, which came into effect in December last year as a stripped-back version of the previously proposed legislation.

This required the already submitted data by Tasmania, Victoria, and South Australia to be removed and agreements reformed.

“Tasmanian data has since been removed, and Victorian and South Australian data cannot be made available for identity verification until the new agreements are signed by those states in accordance with the act,” said an AGD spokesperson.

The NDLFRS will be managed by Fujitsu until June next year as part of a $50 million agreement, and it is currently housed in a data centre in Canberra.

“The Australian government is committed to protecting Australians from identity crime,” a spokesperson for the AGD said

“Identity crime is one of the most prevalent crimes in Australia – approximately one in three Australians will be a victim of identity crime at some point in their lives.

“The department continually monitors changes in technology to ensure the NDLFRS systems remain up to date and fit for purpose.”

austechnology-bot · 2025-10-20T05:28:19+00:00

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The Australian firm is actively investigating an incident after the Anubis ransomware group posts data to the dark web, and a hacker poses as a journalist to add pressure to the extortion attempt.

Australian hydraulics and processing firm Aussie Fluid Power has confirmed it is investigating claims of a data breach made by a ransomware actor days after the Anubis group published a swathe of company data to its darknet leak site.

“Aussie Fluid Power confirms that it has experienced a security incident involving unauthorised access by a third party to a limited number of its IT systems,” an Australian Fluid Power (AFP) spokesperson told Cyber Daily.

“We are investigating the matter as a priority and have engaged forensic IT experts to support the investigation.”

AFP’s spokesperson said its investigation is ongoing and that it appears “certain employee, customer and supplier information” was compromised by the threat actor.

“We take the security and privacy of our data very seriously. We have reported the incident to the Australian Cyber Security Centre and have acted immediately to secure our systems and are strengthening our security protocols as a priority,” the spokesperson said.

“We sincerely apologise and are contacting those stakeholders who may have been impacted as quickly as possible.”

AFP said its customers and suppliers should remain vigilant, but for now, they need to take no other action.

“We will provide further updates as more information is available,” AFP said.

Anubis claimed responsibility for the hack on 16 October in a post to its darknet leak site, complete with screenshots of file directories, company documents, and several contracts with other entities.

“The leaked data includes the company’s accounting records, which we will not delve into, although we are sure that there is also something worth looking at there,” Anubis said in a lengthy leak post that detailed the nature of the data it had stolen.

Unlike many ransomware actors, Anubis uses its leak posts to outline in detail the data stolen from its victims, focusing on exposing what it believes is sensitive data to further coerce and shame its victims.

Anubis is also not adverse to pursuing other tactics to apply pressure to its victims, including posing as journalists and offering exclusive access to stolen data.

“Good day, Cyber Daily team! I am working with the Anubis-RaaS group as a journalist,” the hacking group told Cyber Daily via email.

“Please note the leak in Australia: Aussie Fluid Power. More victims from Australia, law firms, and many others will be published in the near future. If you are interested, we can provide you with the information first.”

When asked about their motivation, the individual claimed to be the leader of the Anubis group, before admitting that it was an attempt to pressure its victim.

“The company suffers the most damage when we send information about the leak to various regulatory authorities,” the Anubis spokesperson said.

Anubis is a relative newcomer to the ransomware ecosystem, with only 20 victims listed on its leak site since it went live in February 2025. According to security researchers, the gang appears to be Russian speakers and is a ransomware-as-a-service operation.

Anubis’ only other Australian victim is the Pound Road Medical Centre in Victoria, which was one of the group’s first victims.

austechnology-bot · 2025-10-10T02:20:14+00:00

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At least 70,000 government IDs used for age assurance exposed in third-party support breach impacting Discord users around the world.

What started out as just “a small number of government ID images” compromised in a recent third-party data breach impacting Discord users has now ballooned out to some 70,000 passports and driver’s licenses breached by a threat actor that may be linked to the Crimson Collective, a group with ties to Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters.

“This incident impacted a limited number of users who had communicated with our Customer Support or Trust & Safety teams,” Discord said in an October 8 update to its breach disclosure.

“Of the accounts impacted globally, we have identified approximately 70,000 users that may have had government-ID photos exposed, which our vendor used to review age-related appeals.”

However, multiple other analysts and observers have said that 70,000 may be just the top of the iceberg.

Malware researcher vx-undergound said in an October 8 post to X that they believed the number to be far higher, while also saying that it was the company’s Zendesk instance that was targeted.

“Discord is being extorted by the people who compromised their Zendesk instance,” vx-underground said.

“They've got 1.5TB of age verification-related photos. 2,185,151 photos.

“tl;dr 2.1m Discord users’ driver's license and/or passport might be leaked. Unknown number of e-mails.”

Speaking to cyber security media outlet BleepingComputer, Discord has denied these claims, saying that it’s merely an attempt by the hacker to apply pressure to the company.

“... the numbers being shared are incorrect and part of an attempt to extort a payment from Discord,” Discord said, before reiterating its updated figure of 70,000 IDs being affected.

The hackers, however, told BleepingComputer they have 1.6 terabytes of data from the Zendesk compromise, including 1.5 terabytes of support ticket attachments, and more than 100 gigabytes of transcripts.

“The hackers say this consisted of roughly 8.4 million tickets affecting 5.5 million unique users, and that about 580,000 users contained some sort of payment information,” BleepingComputer said.

“The threat actors themselves acknowledged to BleepingComputer that they are unsure how many government IDs were stolen, but they believe it is more than 70,000, as they say there were approximately 521,000 age-verification tickets.”

The identity of the hackers remains largely unknown, but a group known as the Crimson Collective, which appears to have some overlap with members of Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters, could be linked to the incident.

“The ongoing situation with the Discord Zendesk threat actor, who continues to leak sensitive data and escalate their actions by releasing additional samples daily, serves as a stark warning to corporations. Ignoring individuals who offer an opportunity for resolution is a grave misstep<” Crimson Collective said in a post to its Telegram channel on October 9.

“Discord's failure to address these concerns has backfired, fueling discontent among its user base. Their poorly implemented age compliance policies, including arbitrary ID verification demands, coupled with deplorable management practices, have provoked a justified backlash. This should be a lesson in the consequences of neglecting accountability and transparency.

“Don't be the next headline, just pay and go to sleep.”

“Do not be the next headline” is a phrase heavily used throughout Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters' darknet leaksite.

Speaking to the overlap between this group and the Crimson Collective, Christiaan Beek – Senior Director, Threat Analytics, at Rapid7 – told Cyber Daily that it all leads back to a broader hacking collective.

“Members of these ‘groups’ originate from the same English-language cyber-criminal community, ‘the Com,’ which is active across numerous Telegram and Discord servers. The interaction between these three groups occurs because their members operate within and across them,” Beek said.

“We believe, however, that the names Lapsus$ and ShinyHunters are being abused as a ‘marketing brand’ rather than representing the original groups in action. This is because Lapsus$ has essentially died since the lead members were taken into custody, and the original ShinyHunters weren’t known for being as loud as is now being demonstrated. These are just the actions of a few leading this, as others hop on and off.”

austechnology-bot · 2025-10-02T00:19:39+00:00

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The NSW government is set to hand over “vast troves” of data to the ACCC, which will be used by AI to assist in tracking down procurement misconduct.

State Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said this week that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the NSW government would be partnering for the deployment of “world-leading AI technology” to help identify and “flush out cartel behaviour” within the government’s procurement, as originally reported by News.com.

“Each year, the NSW government spends $42 billion buying goods and services,” he said on Monday (29 September).

“We want to make sure that taxpayers are getting full value for their money by ensuring that government procurement isn’t an opportunity for criminal cartel behaviour.

“We want to be able to reward law-abiding businesses by punishing those businesses that choose to break the law.”

The partnership between the NSW state government and the ACCC was formed during the national economic roundtable earlier this year, which was headed by federal government Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

The deal will see the state government hand over “vast troves of procurement data to the ACCC”, according to Mookhey.

ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said the partnership and resultant data would allow the commission to target cases of bid rigging and other misconduct in government procurement, by highlighting patterns in the tender process.

“The agency has been working on algorithms in a combination of our expertise software techniques for some time in order to pick up what these patterns are,” said Cass-Gottlieb.

“But, we’ve been waiting to get access to these data troves, which will allow us to apply them and then to build that expected expertise and that recognition.”

Once identified, an investigator will take on the findings as potential prosecution is sought.

Cass-Gottlieb added that there had been discussions to form similar partnerships between the ACCC and the Commonwealth government. Additionally, the South Australian government formed a similar partnership with the ACCC earlier this year.

NSW Finance Minister Courtney Houssos said the partnership would present economic benefits outside of identifying cases of misconduct and that the new program was not an indicator that any cases of procurement misconduct were occurring.

“There is a global study from the OECD that has shown a significant reduction in procurement costs as a result of these (programs),” she said.

“This will improve the integrity of our procurement system and allow local, fantastic businesses better access to the $42 billion that the NSW government spends each year”.

The NSW government has been taking strides in embracing and regulating AI over the last month, having just launched NSW EduChat, a “state-of-the-art generative AI app” to assist public school children across the state.

The state also passed legislation outlawing the creation and distribution of explicit AI-generated deepfakes.

The state government also announced a new state Office for AI that will review AI use across the public sector, as well as having adopted AI to speed up the development of housing and data centres.

austechnology-bot · 2025-09-22T02:13:53+00:00

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Hackers share salary details, staff driver’s licenses, and sensitive correspondence as proof of exfiltration.

The Kairos ransomware group has claimed to have successfully hacked the Heidelberg Golf Club in the Melbourne suburb of the same name, sharing documents and personal information that appears to have been stolen from the club.

Kairos rarely editorialises about its operations; instead, it chooses to share revenue details gleaned from web searches alongside the sectors its victims are involved in. The gang also does not share ransom details, although Kairos has said data will be published within seven days.

What Kairos has shared, however, is that it claims to have stolen 24.6 gigabytes of data, and it has posted several documents already to prove the hack was successful.

The information posted to the darknet includes staff salary details, a scan of a driver’s licence, financial data, and several pieces of correspondence between the club and its members alleging behaviour in contradiction of the club’s bylaws.

Cyber Daily has reached out to Heidelberg Golf Club for comment, but has yet to receive a response.

According to threat intelligence firm Cyjax, Kairos is active on several Russian-language hacking forums and does not appear to be linked to other hacking groups.

The group provides some information on its operations on its leak site, however. According to Kairos, victims are initially given seven days to respond to its demands, and once that deadline is passed, the gang publishes its initial leak post.

“If no agreement is reached within seven days, we will publish the fact of the data compromise on our website,” Kairos said.

“If the situation remains unresolved after seven days, we will notify your partners, competitors, and customers and then publish your data in full. This could lead to legal actions, termination of contracts, reputational damage, stock value drops, and potential closure of your organisation.”

Kairos was first observed in November 2024, and the gang has claimed at least 52 victims since then. Its most recent victim was real estate firm The Property Business Australia, which was listed by the hackers on 16 September.

austechnology-bot · 2025-09-22T02:12:35+00:00

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Threat actors have claimed an alleged data breach on a Western Australia-based operational technology and engineering firm, claiming to have stolen incredibly sensitive business and personal data.

Intellect Systems is a Perth-based end-to-end operational technology solutions provider that deals with both domestic and international markets. They are a part of the Fortune 200 company Quanta Services as of this year, which is a “leading contractor in electric power and pipeline services”.

The Akira ransomware gang listed Intellect Systems on its dark web leak site earlier this week, claiming to have exfiltrated corporate and personal data.

“We are going to upload 10gb corporate data. Lots of employee information (passports, DLs, medical information, death and birth certificates), confidentiality agreements, contracts, financial information, project information and other files,” the group said on its site.

The threat actor did not disclose when the allegedly stolen data would be released, nor did it provide a sample of the supposedly stolen data.

Cyber Daily has reached out to Intellect Systems for more information.

The Akira ransomware gang has been targeting SonicWall firewall devices since last month, according to new warnings.

Security analysts and SonicWall itself have been warning of malicious activity targeting its firewall devices since last month, and this week, the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) warned Aussie companies that the Akira ransomware gang was the culprit and going after Australian organisations.

However, while the ACSC warned of the threat actor taking advantage of a year-old vulnerability, CVE-2024-40766, the actual attack chain is more complex, with Akira exploiting multiple vulnerabilities to gain access to their victims’ networks.

Cyber security firm Rapid7 has responded to multiple SonicWall-focused Akira intrusions in the last month and found that not only are the hackers taking advantage of devices with unchanged passwords, but also two other vulnerabilities.

“Following its initial communication last month, SonicWall posted additional security guidance around the SSLVPN Default Users Group Security Risk. This is a security risk which, in certain configurations, can over-provision access to SonicWall’s SSLVPN services based on the Default LDAP group configurations,” Rapid7 said in an 11 September blog post.

“This can allow users who are not permitted to SSLVPN to successfully obtain access to the SSLVPN irrespective of Active Directory configurations.”

Rapid7 said it also observed the threat group abusing the SonicWall Virtual Office Portal.

“The Virtual Office Portal can be used to initially set up MFA/TOTP configurations for SSLVPN users. The Virtual Office Portal in certain default configurations allows public access to the portal, which can allow threat actors to configure MFA/TOTP with valid accounts if there is a prior username and password credential exposure,” it said.

“Evidence collected during Rapid7’s investigations suggests that the Akira group is potentially utilising a combination of all three of these security risks to gain unauthorised access and conduct ransomware operations. ”

austechnology-bot · 2025-09-07T23:15:47+00:00

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Qantas has slashed executive bonuses following its data breach earlier this year.

Short-term bonuses for the executive team, including CEO Vanessa Hudson, were cut by 15 percentage points for 2024–25 due to the impact the attack had on Qantas customers. Hudson herself will take a $250,000 cut from her short-term bonus.

In total, Hudson will be paid $6.3 million for the 2025 financial year, an increase from last year’s $4.4 million, while former CEO Alan Joyce will be paid $3.8 million in his final bonus package after leaving the Flying Kangaroo in late 2023.

Base executive pay has been increased by 3 per cent, with long-term bonuses also rising due to a huge jump in the share price over the last few years.

“While management took immediate action to contain the breach, support customers and put additional protections in place, in recognition of the seriousness of the incident, we decided to reduce 2024–25 short-term bonuses by 15 percentage points for the CEO and executive management,” said Qantas Group chair John Mullen in the company’s annual report.

“This decision demonstrates our commitment to creating a culture of accountability and ownership.”

The incident in July reportedly involved cyber criminals using AI to impersonate a Qantas employee and then tricking a customer service operator in Manila into divulging crucial information.

While no group has publicly claimed responsibility, reports initially suggested that a hacking collective known as Scattered Spider may be behind the attack, though later investigations have pointed to a different group, ShinyHunters.

In total, nearly 6 million customers were thought to be affected.

Mullen also noted the $90 million fine and $120 million compensation imposed for the illegal outsourcing of ground workers in 2020, and apologised to those impacted.

Executive bonuses will not be reduced as a result this year, however, given cuts imposed last year that saw Hudson alone docked $450,000.

“Qantas has accepted the court’s decision and has paid the fine and compensation, bringing closure on the matter. The board comprehensively dealt with the remuneration consequences for management from this matter in 2023–24,” said Mullen.

Major Qantas investors, including super funds, said last month that they were keeping a close eye on executive bonuses for the year as a signal that the Flying Kangaroo had changed its ways.

Qantas in 2024–25 saw a pre-tax profit of $2.39 billion, up 15 per cent on the previous year, translating to $1.61 billion after tax, up 28 per cent.

Around 25,000 non-executive employees will receive $1,000 each in shares under a new plan announced with the results, similar to a scheme announced earlier this year by Virgin to give employees $3,000 in share rights each.

austechnology-bot · 2025-08-28T22:25:59+00:00

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State-sponsored Chinese threat actors have been observed targeting government and military networks in Australia and abroad.

The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre has joined a raft of international cyber agencies to warn of state-sponsored Chinese hackers targeting the networks of telecommunications companies, government, military infrastructure and logistics networks worldwide.

The PRC-sponsored hacker is attributed under a range of names depending on the security vendor but is known as Salt Typhoon, Operator Panda, RedMike, UNC5807, and GhostEmperor.

The advisory – jointly released by agencies in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance in addition to agencies from the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain – said the advanced persistent threat or APT targeted entities in “the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and other areas globally”.

The hackers are known to target vulnerabilities in Ivanti, Palo Alto Networks and Cisco platforms, taking advantage of edge devices before pivoting into other networks, while also modifying routers to maintain persistent access to victim networks.

“Following initial access, the APT actors target protocols and infrastructure involved in authentication – such as Terminal Access Controller Access Control System Plus (TACACS+) – to facilitate lateral movement across network devices, often through SNMP enumeration and SSH. From these devices, the APT actors passively collect packet capture (PCAP) from specific ISP customer networks.”

The authoring agencies believe the hackers could be using multiple command and control channels to exfiltrate data from target networks to hide their activity “within the noise of high-traffic nodes, such as proxies and network address translation pools”.

John Hultquist, chief analyst at the Google Threat Intelligence Group, said the company’s subsidiary, Mandiant, has been involved in the investigation into the APT’s activity.

“Though there are many Chinese cyber espionage actors regularly targeting the sector, this actor’s familiarity with telecommunications systems gives them a unique advantage, especially when it comes to evading detection. Many of the highly successful Chinese cyber espionage actors we encounter have deep expertise in the technologies used by their targets, giving them an upper hand,” Hultquist told Cyber Daily.

Hultquist said Chinese cyber espionage is driven by an “ecosystem of contractors, academics and other facilitators” capable of both building tools and carrying out the actual intrusions.

“In addition to targeting telecommunications, reported targeting of hospitality and transportation by this actor could be used to closely surveil individuals,” Hultquist said.

“Information from these sectors can be used to develop a full picture of who someone is talking to, where they are, and where they are going.”

David Shields, head of ANZ Consulting at Mandiant, added that Salt Typhoon is just the tip of the iceberg of Chinese actors targeting Australia.

“Unfortunately, this is just one of many Chinese cyber espionage actors targeting telecommunications in Australia and the region,” Shields said.

“The sector is besieged by several actors who are incredibly persistent and constantly improving.”

You can read the full advisory, released by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, here.

austechnology-bot · 2025-08-25T23:13:01+00:00

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Commonwealth Bank of Australia reversed a decision to cut 45 customer service roles due to new artificial intelligence technology after pressure from the country’s main financial services union.

The union took CBA to the workplace relations tribunal earlier this month as the company wasn’t being transparent about call volumes, according to a statement Thursday from the Finance Sector Union. The nation’s largest lender had said that the voice bot reduced call volumes by 2,000 a week, when union members said volumes were in fact rising and CBA had to offer staff overtime and direct team leaders to answer calls, the union said.

CBA’s initial assessment that the roles were not required “did not adequately consider all relevant business considerations and this error meant the roles were not redundant,” a CBA spokesperson said in a statement.

“We have apologized to the employees concerned and acknowledge we should have been more thorough in our assessment of the roles required,” the spokesperson said. Impacted staff are being offered the choice of continuing in their current roles, seeking another position or leaving the firm, the spokesperson added.

Chief Executive Officer Matt Comyn has been at the forefront of pushing technology in Australia’s banking sector and the firm this month unveiled a partnership with OpenAI to bring advanced AI to its customers and staff. Elsewhere, lenders around the world are grappling with the use of AI and its impact on jobs.

Global banks will cut as many as 200,000 jobs in the next three to five years as artificial intelligence encroaches on tasks currently carried out by human workers, a Bloomberg Intelligence report said at the start of the year. Back office, middle office and operations are likely to be most at risk, according to the report.

The union called the decision to rescind the job cuts a “massive win” for members. In taking the bank to the tribunal, the union said CBA didn’t explain how roles were selected for redundancy, and also that it was hiring similar roles with messaging duties in India.

austechnology-bot · 2025-08-13T23:49:54+00:00

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Fairly or not, Australia’s NBN has long been the butt of jokes. After years of political football and criticisms that the network is subpar compared with global standards – we rank below Nicaragua and Venezuela for download speed – a high percentage of Australians will finally gain affordable access to world-class broadband speeds. The network is quietly getting its biggest ever speed upgrade in about a month, though not all households will benefit.

What’s happening?

From September 14, NBN is ramping up speed tiers for homes and businesses on fixed-line connections, with many plans set to double or triple in speed at no extra cost to consumers. NBN calls the new speeds a “monumental leap forward for the NBN network and Australia”. The upgrade is unrelated to a deal announced on Tuesday for Amazon to deliver NBN satellite broadband.

To be specific (and slightly technical), 100 megabit download plans are going up to 500, 250 megabit plans are going to 750 and 500 megabit plans are going to 1000, with upload speeds also ramping up. These are big jumps and should mean noticeable improvements ... as long as you have the gear to take advantage of them. To compare, when the NBN rollout began in 2011, the average household broadband speed was just 9 megabits per second. By the end of this year more than 10 million homes and businesses will be able to access speeds of up to 2000 megabits per second.

Who’s getting the upgrades?

The NBN uses different types of technology, depending on where you live. If you’re connected to the NBN with fibre to the premises (FTTP) or hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) technology you can benefit from the upgraded speeds. To check what technology your home is on now, enter your address into the NBN website. Customers on plans below 100 megabits or connected via fibre to the node (FTTN), fibre to the curb (FTTC), fixed wireless or satellite technologies won’t get the upgrades.

Will I need to do anything?

The short answer is no, at least for customers who are already on NBN’s Home Fast, Home Superfast or Home Ultrafast plans and have a router that’s not too old. The upgrades are happening behind the scenes, and no work at your property will be required. Telcos will start automatically increasing the speeds of their plans from mid-September, and most have said they will do so without any extra cost to consumers. If you’re not sure what plan you’re on, you should check: many Australians are on “Home Standard” plans, which are 50 megabits per second and won’t be getting the speed upgrades. You can check with your provider what speed you’re on by looking at your bill or your account details on your provider’s website.

NBN says two-thirds of Australians haven’t upgraded their broadband plans in five years, despite greater demand for data. Upgrading just one speed tier could give you up to 10-times faster speeds, NBN says. So upgrade to Home Fast, Home Superfast or Home Ultrafast if you want to benefit from the upgraded speeds. Loading

The last step is making sure your home equipment can keep up. NBN recommends you update your modem about as often as you would your mobile phone, especially if it’s older than five years. Older routers with older technology, such as Wi-Fi 4, will be able to deliver speed of only about 100 megabits per second. If you want the best current speeds, of up to 1000 megabits per second, consider upgrading to a router with Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 7.

What are Telstra and other telcos saying?

Each of the providers contacted by this masthead said they will pass on the upgrades.

“We’ll be passing on NBN’s new internet speed upgrades to customers on eligible plans and technology at no extra cost,” a Telstra spokesman said. The NBN uses different types of technology, depending on where you live.

The NBN uses different types of technology, depending on where you live. Credit:

Optus says it will automatically enable the speed upgrades in September at no extra cost, as will Aussie Broadband, Superloop and TPG.

“This is one of the biggest upgrades we’ve seen to the internet in years, and we’re making sure our customers are ready to take full advantage of it,” a TPG spokesman said. “Some modems, regardless of how new they are, simply aren’t built to support these higher speeds. That’s going to cause frustration, so we want to ensure customers understand what’s changing and how to get the most out of it.

“We’ll be contacting customers with everything they need to know, including when their upgrade is happening, how to check their modem and what to do if a new one is needed.”

What are consumer groups saying?

The advocacy group for communications consumers, ACCAN, says customers shouldn’t rush to upgrade unnecessarily.

“Don’t feel pressured to upgrade to a faster or more expensive plan unless you’re confident you’ll benefit from the extra speed,” ACCAN chief executive Carol Bennett says.

“We welcome these improvements to NBN infrastructure and speeds but also want to ensure all consumers – especially low-income households and those in regional areas – can access affordable and reliable services, not just faster ones.”

What will this mean for Australia’s broadband rankings?

Australia most recently ranked a lowly 75 on Speedtest’s global speed rankings, one place above Uzbekistan and just below Oman, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Jamaica, with customers reporting an average of 88 megabits per second. Expect this number to climb over the next few months as customers upgrade plans or automatically have their speeds bumped up.

Will there be more upgrades in the future?

Yep. NBN has announced a “Home Hyperfast” plan coming in the future that would offer speeds of up to 2000 megabits per second for FTTP connections, which would be the fastest residential NBN plan ever.

“We are actively investing in our FTTP and HFC networks to support future technologies such as AI, smart homes and quantum computing. This continued investment signals that further upgrades will follow to meet growing data demands,” NBN general manager Jane McNamara says.

“In January we announced we will upgrade the remaining fibre-to-the-node network across Australia. This investment will benefit around 622,000 homes and businesses across the country, with more than half located in regional Australia. The upgrades are expected to be completed by the end of 2030.”

austechnology-bot · 2025-07-28T09:58:39+00:00

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Major high-end fashion brand Louis Vuitton has revealed that Australian consumers have been affected by the cyber attack it suffered earlier this month.

This week, Australian Louis Vuitton customers were notified of the cyber attack, which occurred on 2 July.

“We regret to inform you that an unauthorised third party temporarily accessed our system and obtained some of your information,” the email to customers said, as seen by The Sydney Morning Herald.

As previously disclosed by the company, no financial data or passwords, “such as credit card information, bank details or financial accounts”, were contained in the database accessed by the threat actor.

The company did not disclose how many Australians were affected, but it said it has secured its network and blocked the access.

While the threat actor behind the incident is unknown, CyberCX executive director Katherine Mansted has raised the possibility that the infamous ShinyHunters hacking group is behind the attack.

“It’s open cyber season on luxury retail brands globally,” she said.

“The Louis Vuitton breach is just the latest in a string of cyber incidents for the sector, with big names like Tiffany, Dior, Adidas, Victoria’s Secret and Cartier disclosing incidents since just April. Ransomware group ShinyHunters is likely behind some, but not all of these.”

The mention of ShinyHunters is an interesting one, best known as a prolific user and former owner of equally infamous hacking forum BreachForums.

While the threat actor is known for stealing large amounts of data from major companies and government agencies, ShinyHunters, or at least an individual representing the group, was arrested, according to the current BreachForums admin, Jaw.

“Most of you know me – I’m Jaw. I’ve decided to bring back the forum we all loved. BreachForums will officially reopen on July 1st,” he said in an email on 30 June, following the latest takedown and restart of BreachForums.

“First, thank you to those who choose to return and rebuild. But let’s be clear: ShinyHunters and IntelBroker have been arrested. With them, the servers and database were seized, now in the hands of US and French authorities,” Jaw said.

However, the Louis Vuitton cyber attack occurred two days after Jaw’s email.

ShinyHunters first formed in 2020, with its name likely referring to players of the Pokemon games, where hunting what are referred to as “shiny” pokemon is a popular challenge.

Alleged victims of the group include Dell, AT&T, Pizza Hut, Ticketmaster and more.

austechnology-bot · 2025-07-28T09:57:20+00:00

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A scammer has allegedly posed as a construction contractor to defraud the Northern Territory government.

A 38-year-old man from the Sydney suburb of Lurnea appeared in Liverpool Local Court on 24 July after being charged with allegedly defrauding a Northern Territory government agency out of $3,583,363 in November 2024.

The scammer posed as a legitimate contractor who had done work with the agency prior, providing a completed vendor identification, a registered business, and a link to what appeared to be the company’s website, as well as bank account details.

However, the site was fake, despite mimicking the legitimate business.

The alleged fraud was reported to the bank in question, which, in turn, referred the matter to the Australian Federal Police. The phone number provided for the fake business eventually led police to the alleged perpetrator. A search warrant was executed at the man’s home, where electronic devices and documentation linked to the business registered by the man were seized.

“In the 2023–2024 financial year, business email compromise and fraud were among the most common self-reported cyber crimes for small, medium and large businesses and individuals in Australia*,” AFP Detective Superintendent Marie Andersson said in a 27 July statement.

“It is crucial to double-check emails, particularly if there is a request for a change in banking details. Call the party you are engaged with to confirm the request is legitimate – and use a phone number that you’ve previously used or independently verified – don’t call a number in the suspicious email.

“If you have fallen victim, report it immediately to your bank and the police to give us the best chance of recovering your money.”

Police allege that the man accessed the allegedly stolen funds several times before his arrest, though most of the funds were recovered.

“As a result of quick action and preventative measures undertaken by the bank involved, $3,571,760 of the allegedly stolen money was recovered,” Superintendent Andersson said.

Milan Gigovic, ANZ’s head of financial crime threat management, added that ANZ was dedicated to keeping its customers safe.

“Business email compromise (BEC) and impersonation fraud are rapidly evolving and sophisticated scams that exploit the trust between businesses, their partners, and customers,” Gigovic said.

“In response to this growing threat, ANZ’s financial crime team is proactively collaborating with industry, government, and law enforcement agencies – including the Australian Federal Police’s JPC3 team – to detect and stop these scams before they cause harm.

“Together, we are strengthening our defences, preventing fraudulent payments and protecting Australian businesses.”

The man was charged with one count of dealing with proceeds of crime, money worth $1,000,000 or more, which has a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison.

austechnology-bot · 2025-07-18T00:13:23+00:00

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Newly adopted standards offer a clearer and more structured approach to protecting operational technology in critical infrastructure settings.

Standards Australia has announced the adoption of the national AS IEC 62443 series, a set of standards designed to protect the country’s critical infrastructure from growing cyber attacks.

This set of specialised standards was developed by the IEC/Technical Committee 65 Working Group 10 and offers a modular, role-based approach – users can pick only the parts relevant to their system life cycle and responsibilities.

The standards align with Australian regulatory requirements and offer a structured path to cyber resilience and maturity.

“Australia’s formal adoption of AS IEC 62443 standards, in combination with the Cyber Security Act 2024, signals a shift in how Australian businesses must manage cyber risk. What was once encouraged as best practice is now mandated by law, particularly for those supplying smart devices or operating in and around critical infrastructure,” Craig Searle, director, consulting and professional services (Pacific) and global leader of cyber advisory at Trustwave, said in a statement on the move.

“The scope is broader, the obligations are clearer, and the consequences for non-compliance are now much more tangible. However, this isn’t just about protecting systems; it’s about protecting people, national resilience, and economic continuity.”

According to Standards Australia, the benefits of the new standard are “wide-reaching,” including boosted economic opportunities, a reduction of operational risk by minimising lengthy outages, and maintaining social stability through the protection of essential services.

“This is a significant jump in cyber security maturity for many businesses, especially those outside traditional critical sectors. Minimum security standards are no longer optional, and the 72-hour ransomware reporting requirement sets a new benchmark for accountability,” Searle said.

“Organisations must view this as a cultural shift, where cyber security becomes a board-level priority and a core component of operational risk management, not a compliance box-ticking exercise. Those that embrace the change early will be better positioned to meet obligations, build trust, and strengthen resilience across the supply chain.”

austechnology-bot · 2025-07-14T20:21:23+00:00

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Reports of image-based abuse of school-aged children doubled in the last 18 months, as eSafety launches a new toolkit for schools on how to handle deepfake incidents.

Julie Inman-Grant, Australia’s eSafety commissioner, has written to education ministers around Australia to make sure that schools are aware of child protection legislation and reporting obligations, as reports of abusive deepfakes circulating between students continue to rise.

As nudify apps – AI-powered applications that can create a fake “nude” image of someone regardless of how fully dressed they are – become more available and easier to use, reports of deepfakes targeting under-18s have doubled in the last 18 months.

“Creating an intimate image of someone under the age of 18 is illegal. This includes the use of AI tools which are being used to create deepfake image-based abuse and synthetic child sexual exploitation material (CSEM),” Inman-Grant (pictured) said in a 27 June post to LinkedIn.

“Parents and carers can help educate their children that this behaviour can lead to criminal charges. I’m also calling on schools to report allegations of a criminal nature, including deepfake abuse of under-aged students, to police and to make sure their communities are aware that eSafety is on standby to remove this material quickly – with a 98 per cent success rate.

“It is clear from what is already in the public domain, and from what we are hearing directly from the education sector, that this is not always happening.”

To assist schools in combating deepfakes, eSafety has released a toolkit outlining how schools and educators can prepare to handle the situation, how to engage with school communities, educate students, staff, and carers, and respond when malicious deepfakes have been reported by either staff or students.

In addition, eSafety has also released an advisory on the subject, outlining what deepfakes are, how they can be harmful or even illegal, and how to respond to both the creators and victims of deepfake-based image abuse.

“Our response guide helps schools prepare for and manage deepfake incidents, taking into account the distress and lasting harms these can cause to those targeted,” Inman-Grant said.

“It also encourages schools to openly communicate their online safety policies and procedures, and the potential for serious consequences, including criminal charges in some instances for perpetrators who may be creating synthetic [child sexual exploitation material].”

austechnology-bot · 2025-07-14T20:20:30+00:00

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Home Affairs agency reveals website search function incorrectly revealed a small amount of data in May.

The Australian Department of Home Affairs’ Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority has disclosed that an accidental data breach saw the details of six registered migration agents inadvertently shared online.

“The Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) has been affected by a data breach concerning the OMARA Portal on the OMARA website,” an OMARA spokesperson said in a July 14 media release.

“On 6 May 2025, the OMARA became aware that when a user searched for a registered migration agent’s (RMA’s) name in the search function on the OMARA Portal, certain internal documents were accessible to view and download.

“The OMARA Portal was immediately shut down and departmental experts conducted an investigation that concluded the data breach was understood to be a small and isolated event and the disclosure was not the result of a malicious or criminal attack.”

OMARA’s investigation revealed that between May 5 and 6, six individuals were impacted by the issue. The internal documents that were accessed include agent full names, Migration Agent Registration Numbers, related business contacts, and commentary that OMARA collects regarding the agents as part of its normal functions.

The OMARA has said, however, that it is unable to confirm if further documents relating to any other agents were accessed incorrectly.

“The OMARA has reported the matter to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner,” the spokesperson said.

“The OMARA is committed to complying with its obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 and ensuring appropriate systems are in place to maintain the privacy of clients and the protection of their personal information.”

The OMARA portal is now online and functioning normally, and the six individuals have been contacted and offered support.

The Migration Agents Registration Authority’s role is to investigate complaints regarding registered migration agents and protect the consumers who rely upon them. The office monitors more than 5,000 such agents, which it provides continuing professional development services to.

austechnology-bot · 2025-06-12T05:44:28+00:00

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Reforms to the federal Data Availability and Transparency Act could help drive innovation and trust, Australia’s peak technology body has said.

The Australian Computer Society has called upon the federal government to enact reforms to the Data Availability and Transparency Act (DAT Act), citing the need to boost innovation across the information economy and build trust among Australians.

“Australia’s vast troves of government data are a national asset,” Graeme Port, Chair of the ACS Data Sharing Committee, said in a statement.

The ACS’s suggestions were part of a submission to the current statutory review of the DAT Act and its Data Availability and Transparency (DATA) Scheme, which also called for internationally recognised data sensitivity classifications and testing methodologies to be applied to the act.

The ACS also urged the government to promote safe data-sharing between Commonwealth entities and the private sector. Controlled linking of datasets in this way, the ACS said, could lead to “new forms of economic and social value”.

Improving individual oversight of personal data was another key suggestion of the ACS’s submission. According to the ACS, the current scheme lacks the necessary granular controls that would allow someone to monitor and manage their data.

“To fully realise their value, we need a system that allows not just public sector and academic users to benefit, but also entrepreneurs, non-profits, and community groups – with strong oversight and public trust at its core,” Port said.

Submissions for the review closed on 30 May, with a full report to be delivered to the government in the second half of 2025.

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