Key takeaways from the latest Notifiable Data Breach Scheme stats
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) recently released its Notifiable Data Breaches Report for the period from January to June 2021. The Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme was established in February 2018 to improve consumer protection and drive better security standards for protecting personal information. Just 446 data breaches were notified to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) under notifiable data breach (NDB) laws between January and June, a 16% decrease compared to the previous reporting period. With a reduced number of malicious data attacks and data breaches compared to the previous 6-month reporting period, the numbers are looking positive. Health sector
Why a cyber attack crisis requires a different comms response
Most crises centre around a distinct or discrete event. An accident. A fatality. A failure of critical infrastructure. And although the details of the issue may not be immediately apparent, there is usually clarity around what has happened, or at least, the immediate impact of what has happened. In most cases then, managing a crisis, particularly the communications aspect, centres on what has happened, what is known, what happens next. It is stressful, and it can put severe pressure on teams, but usually the interest and engagement about the issue tends to die down after a day or two. There’s reputation rebuilding, and
Safer Internet Day: Together for a better internet
Safer Internet Day is designed to encourage people to start the conversation around protecting ourselves, our families and our colleagues on the web, and this year's message is 'together for a better internet'. Protect your internet 'home' In my house, every day is safer internet day, but I can understand why this dry topic might not be everyone’s first priority. Presumably though, you would say you do everything you can to protect your home (and thus your family): door and window locks, alarms, garden fences, teaching your kids to close the front door, shutting your garage etc. Using the internet safely is just
Why is the internet telling you to drop WhatsApp?
There's a lot of noise on social channels right now from people who are switching from WhatsApp to other messaging services. The move seems to be driven by the (wrong) assertion that changes in WhatsApp’s user policies mean the app will begin pushing personalised information about you to its parent company, Facebook. Now, I’m not a huge supporter of Facebook’s grip on our personal data (or indeed what it has done with that data in the past), but the changes it is making do not mean your personal information will be any more compromised than it already is on WhatsApp -
Not if, but when: preparing for the inevitable cyber attack
For many businesses, the threat of a cyber attack and loss of vital data is inevitable. So how do you prepare to manage that?
Cyber attacks: the things you can be doing to protect your business
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is right to say that a sophisticated, state-sponsored cyber attack on Australian government agencies and businesses is “not a surprise” and part of “the world that we live in.”
Staying cyber-secure while keeping your social distance
We don't know how long the COVID-19 crisis will last - but there are important cyber security steps we should take while working away from our usual environments.
Why deep fakes should trigger deep thinking
We’re at an interesting point in our history when it comes to identity manipulation. And the consequences could be alarming.
Authenticity may not really be what you’re looking for
Recently I was asked to speak in Sydney at the Corporate Affairs Summit, Australasia’s most senior and significant gathering of corporate affairs and communication executives. These events are always a perilous mix of unusual insight (this year a senior leader from tobacco company Philip Morris was the day one keynote speaker) and potential navel-gazing, as 300-plus communications professionals meet in the same room. But the panel I was on was particularly interesting, even if I do say so myself! I was asked to discuss the importance of authenticity in professional communications, especially with regards to large-scale consumer communications. This is a fascinating topic,
More than 10 million people hit by one data breach
We had our biggest notifiable data breach to date in the first three months of this year - and it affected an awful lot of people.
Why somebody else’s data breach crisis might also be yours
The recent hacking of information from a specialist cardiology unit in Melbourne highlights the importance of being prepared in advance for a data breach – potentially even one that doesn’t belong to you. The January attack “scrambled” the files of some 15,000 patients at the Melbourne Heart Group (MHG) clinic, with a cryptocurrency demand issued for the return of information believed to have been obtained using malware from North Korea or Russia. Some patients’ information was reportedly still missing weeks later and the situation was made even more intriguing by the possible on-flow of reputational damage to a third party: Cabrini Hospital.
What is ‘doxxing’ and what do we have to worry about?
We live in a connected world where our personal information, if not protected properly, is easier to access than it has ever been. Often that access, uninvited as it might be, is harmless enough. But in some instances it crosses the line into the realm of a personal attack, which can be both emotionally and financially harmful. Recently, the perils of ‘doxxing’ have been put under a new spotlight, after an ABC journalist wrote about his experience of being ‘trolled’ en masse. So what exactly is doxxing and why should you be worried about it? Doxxing defined The term is derived from dox, which is an abbreviation of documents. Dropping
Five key takeaways from the latest Notifiable Data Breach Scheme stats
An increase in malicious data attacks and more breaches than ever before – those are two of the standout aspects of a new batch of Notifiable Data Breach Scheme statistics revealed by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. The stats, covering 262 data breaches from October 1 through to December 31, mark the fourth quarterly report since the introduction of the scheme in February of last year. They highlight the ever-present prospect of malicious cyber-activity and the ubiquitous risk posed by human error. hbspt.cta.load(2597977, '63a914ce-52b1-4a76-a8f9-112ce0febc21', {}); Here are five key takeaways from the latest quarterly: 1. It was the busiest quarter ever: the
Richard Harris: The challenges facing Australia’s energy sector
Richard Harris is one of our senior advisors and is one of Western Australia’s leading energy experts, with over 40-years’ experience in government and the private sector. As someone who oversaw the break-up of Western Power in 2005 and the creation of the Wholesale Energy Market in 2006, Richard has a structural understanding of the energy industry and the drivers that shape it. Here, interviewed by our Director of Design and Digital Jamie Wilkinson, Richard outlines the current challenges facing the energy sector and his view of the future.
Did you know 40 per cent of data breaches are malicious or criminal?
Download our white paper on preparing for notifiable data breaches hbspt.cta.load(2597977, '63a914ce-52b1-4a76-a8f9-112ce0febc21', {}); With Australia’s notifiable data breach reporting rules now in place — and changes to European legislation looming — Design and Digital Director Jamie Wilkinson looks at what lessons we have learned so far. It’s been nearly three months since Australia’s new data breach laws came into place, and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has just published the first data regarding the number of notifiable breaches it received for the first quarter of 2018. It makes for interesting reading: There were 55 notifiable data breaches in March alone, and