Australians are set to spend over $11 billion on Christmas presents this year, with a significant proportion to come from online sales - toys, jigsaw puzzles and board games are set to top the list of most popular gifts, according to research from the Australian Retailers Association (ARA). Buying online means that Australians are turning to the internet in a big way - an average of 48% of Christmas presents are likely to be purchased online, with 58% of people saying they’ll purchase m...

Everyone knows that updates are important, and to update frequently, but WHY should we do it? The Australian Cyber Security Centre recommends that users “patch your operating systems and applications within 48 hours where an exploit exists” and, as we know, cyber crime is a growing concern and almost everyone can be exploited. To illustrate this, the Annual Cyber Threat Report for FY 2020-21 has been released and shows an increase of nearly 13% in cyber crimes from 2019-...

Identity theft is a type of fraud that involves using someone else's identity to steal money or gain other benefits. By October 2021, Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au) had already received 18,012 reports relating to identity theft this year alone. Scammers will try and access your identity to perform one or more of the following: Access and drain personal or business bank accounts; Open new bank accounts in your name and take out loans or lines of credit; Take out phone plans and other c...

Hacking, usually, is defined as an attempt to exploit a computer system or a private network inside a computer. Simply put, it is the unauthorised access to or control over computer network security systems for some illicit purpose.  Hackers can destroy, steal or even prevent authorised users from accessing the system. Ethical hacking involves an authorised attempt to gain unauthorised access to a computer system, application, or data. Carrying out an ethical hack involves duplic...

The internet is ubiquitous. It has quickly become an essential utility like electricity and water. However, when the internet was built, it was designed with functionality in mind, not security. Definitions Cybercrime the term used to describe crimes directed at computers or other information communications technologies and crimes where computers or ICTs are an integral part of an offence. Cyber security is the practice of defending computers, networks, servers, mobile devices, data f...

Welcome to International Cyber Security Awareness month, known as Hacktober. It’s a lesser-known fact that small and medium business are being targeted more and more by cybercriminals and there is a valid reason for this; Hackers tend to focus on easy and vulnerable targets-it’s a random selection based on the Hackers search on the internet for vulnerable devices, easy access or it can be a case of less savvy staff being ‘socially engineered’ to allow hacker’s a...