Cybercrime against rapidly deteriorating Australians

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According to a new report by the Australian Cyber ​​Security Center (ASCS), cybercrime incidents have increased by 13% over the year, with new attacks reported every eight minutes.

ACSC noted that it is operated by the Australian Signal Bureau, a digital spy agency, and that the higher the percentage of cybersecurity incidents, the more “substantial” the impact is classified.

“Government agencies, large organizations, critical infrastructure providers, small businesses, families and individuals at all levels were all targeted during the reporting period, primarily by criminals and state officials.” The report states.

Criminals and espionage increased their reliance on the Internet during the pandemic, resulting in the loss of more than $ 33 billion in self-reported cybercrime in 2020-21 alone.

“Malicious cyber actors are actively targeting vulnerable Australians and medical services to exploit COVID-19 pandemics, spy on them, and steal money and sensitive data.” , Defense Minister Andrew Hasty said when he released the report.

Hastie is particularly at risk to the health sector as malicious attackers exploit people’s desire for COVID-19 information and services to obtain personal data, resulting in the second highest number of ransomware incidents. I warned that.

While many perpetrators are profit-seeking criminals, the report is being attacked by state officials “motivated by sensitive information about access to intellectual property or response to Australia’s COVID.” It states.

Health services were included in a quarter of all 67,500 cybercrime cases from 2021 to 21 related to Australia’s critical infrastructure. Food distribution and energy are also targeted, and ACSC warns that this can cause “significant disruption of critical services, potential loss of income, harm or loss of life.”

Government services remain a major victim, accounting for 35% of all reported cases, which may indicate underreporting in the private sector sector.

This follows last year’s major incident when Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that he was experiencing a highly state-based cyberattack, widely believed to be from China. “Unfortunately, this activity isn’t new, but it’s increasing in frequency,” he said at the time.

In response to the ACSC report, cybersecurity expert Rylan Painter said that rapid patching, maintaining a ransomware attack response plan, and cybersecurity remain a strategic priority for itself and its business. Encouraged people to be proactive and vigilant, including.

Hastie encourages Australian businesses, organizations, or families to report cybercrime through ReportCyber ​​or become an ACSC partner.

Crispin Lovere

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